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

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

Sixty-seven individuals were eliminated when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter clashed mid-air on Wednesday night. So far, 28 bodies have actually been identified.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, but the rescue soon turned into a as officials said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal private investigators have actually recuperated the black boxes from the guest jet, employment while authorities were still looking for similar devices in the helicopter.

Meanwhile, in the middle of questions over how well the airport’s control tower was staffed on the night of the crash, it’s been verified that an air traffic control service manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, initially reported by the New York Times, has actually been confirmed 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 employment helicopter traffic in the location when the two aircraft clashed.

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 passengers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, soon before 9pm regional time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive at runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in one of the most securely controlled airspaces in the world.

‘Em ergency automobiles sped past me’

A guy whose other 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 told NBC News his other half of two years, Asra, employment had actually “texted me [and] said, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unverified diversity drive claim

Donald Trump has actually connected a diversity drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous federal governments to the crash.

It has actually because been said there is no proof to support the US president’s claim.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump suggested the diversity efforts had made flight less safe.

At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had 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 typically has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was overseeing both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control in addition to certification of workers and airplane, is without a permanent administrator. Its former employer 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 actually encountered Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his tenure at the FAA.

Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was likewise required to respond to Boeing’s security and quality problems, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of staff.

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Washington DC aircraft crash: employment What we know so far.
Air traffic control heard diverting planes minutes after collision

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

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a variety and inclusion hiring effort spelled out on the company’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, employment saying in a declaration on X: “FAA staff members with disabilities did not cause [the] tragic aircraft crash.

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

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

At a later rundown, he was asked if gender or race played a role. He responded to: “It may have, I do not know.