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

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

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

Both into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 personnel were sent out to the scene, however the rescue quickly developed into a healing mission as authorities said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal detectives have recuperated the black boxes from the passenger jet, while authorities were still looking for similar devices in the helicopter.

Meanwhile, in the middle of concerns 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 manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, job first reported by the New York Times, has been confirmed to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source knowledgeable about the examination.

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It indicates a single controller was dealing with both aircraft and helicopter traffic in the location when the two aircraft collided.

It is allowed – but not optimal – for one controller to do both jobs, job NBC News reported.

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

Flight 5342 was preparing to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it clashed with the helicopter in one of the most securely controlled airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency automobiles sped past me’

A man 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 partner of two years, Asra, had actually “texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unverified diversity drive claim

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

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

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

At a White House press rundown on Friday, job press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA working with decisions made during the previous administration.

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

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

The tower typically has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, job a source said, job one controller was supervising both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service along with accreditation of personnel and airplane, lacks a long-term administrator. Its former 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 selected an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had actually clashed with Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches during his period at the FAA.

Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was likewise required to react to Boeing’s security and quality issues, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a lack of personnel.

Read more:.
Washington DC plane crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control service heard diverting airplanes moments after accident

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

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

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer extreme intellectual impairments, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative defined on the firm’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a declaration on X: “FAA workers with impairments did not cause [the] tragic plane crash.

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

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

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He addressed: “It may have, I don’t know.