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 people were killed when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter clashed mid-air on Wednesday night. So far, 28 bodies have actually been recognized.

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, but the rescue quickly turned into a healing objective as authorities said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the latest updates

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

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

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

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It means a single controller was handling both airplane and helicopter traffic in the area when the 2 airplane clashed.

It is allowable – but not ideal – for one controller to do both tasks, employment NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 passengers and 4 team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, shortly before 9pm regional time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in one of the most firmly managed airspaces in the world.

‘Em ergency lorries 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, employment had actually “texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

” I was waiting and I began seeing a lot of EMS cars 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 connected a diversity drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous federal governments to the crash.

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

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

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

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have 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”, employment according to an initial FAA report.

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

The FAA, which controls air traffic control as well as accreditation of workers and aircraft, employment 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 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 during his tenure at the FAA.

Since beginning as head of the administration in October 2023, he was also forced to react to Boeing’s security and quality problems, and worked to hire more controllers due to a shortage of staff.

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

At his briefing, employment 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 included: “The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer serious intellectual specials needs, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative defined on the firm’s website.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a declaration on X: “FAA employees with disabilities did not trigger [the] terrible plane crash.

” The examination into the crash is still continuous. It is incredibly improper for the president to utilize 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 last week, he signed an executive order which “restored the highest requirements of air traffic controllers”.

At a later rundown, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He addressed: “It might have, I do not understand.