Washington DC Plane Crash: Authorities Recover 41 Bodies After Mid-air Collision

Authorities have actually recovered 41 bodies after an aircraft crash in Washington DC.

Sixty-seven individuals were eliminated when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter clashed mid-air on Wednesday night. Up until now, 28 bodies have been recognized.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 workers were sent out to the scene, but the rescue quickly developed into a recovery mission as officials said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal investigators have recovered the black boxes from the passenger jet, while authorities were still searching for similar gadgets in the helicopter.

Meanwhile, amid concerns over how well the airport’s control tower was staffed on the night of the crash, it’s been validated that an air traffic control supervisor had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, first reported by the New york city Times, has been verified to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the investigation.

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It means a single controller was handling both aircraft and helicopter traffic in the area when the two aircraft collided.

It is allowed – however not ideal – for one controller to do both jobs, NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 guests and four team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, quickly before 9pm local time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the helicopter in among the most tightly managed airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

A guy whose better half was on the flight has actually remembered how he saw emergency situation services “speeding past” as he was waiting at the airport to select her up.

Hamaad Raza informed NBC News his spouse of 2 years, Asra, had “texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

” I was waiting and I started seeing a lot of EMS cars speeding past me … way a lot of, [more] than typical and my texts weren’t going through.”

Trump makes unverified diversity drive claim

Donald Trump has linked a variety drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous governments to the crash.

It has actually considering that been stated there is no evidence to support the US president’s claim.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump recommended the diversity efforts had actually made air travel less safe.

At a White House press instruction on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA hiring decisions made throughout the previous administration.

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have been exposed, there are concerns over staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport.

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was “not regular”, according to a preliminary FAA report.

The tower normally has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was managing both aircraft and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service as well as certification of personnel and airplane, referall.us is without an irreversible administrator. Its previous manager Michael Whitaker stepped down on 20 January – the day of Mr Trump’s inauguration.

Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app Mr Trump has actually appointed an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had encountered Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his period at the FAA.

Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was also required to respond to Boeing’s safety and quality problems, and worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a lack of personnel.

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Washington DC aircraft crash: What we understand so far.
Air traffic control service heard diverting aircrafts moments after crash

At his rundown, Mr Trump blamed previous president Joe Biden for reducing requirements for air traffic controllers.

” We have to have our smartest people,” he said. “They need to be naturally talented geniuses.”

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer extreme intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring effort spelled out on the agency’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a statement on X: “FAA staff members with specials needs did not cause [the] tragic plane crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is incredibly unsuitable for the president to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring program. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.”

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Mr Trump said after being sworn in recently, he signed an executive order which “restored the highest standards of air traffic controllers”.

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He addressed: “It might have, I don’t understand.