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

Authorities have 41 bodies after a plane crash in Washington DC.

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

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

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

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

Meanwhile, amidst 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 service manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

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

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

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 guests and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, bring three soldiers, soon 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 controlled airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency vehicles sped past me’

A male whose wife was on the flight has remembered how he saw emergency situation services “speeding past” as he was waiting at the airport to choose her up.

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

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

Trump makes unproven diversity drive claim

Donald Trump has actually linked a variety drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous 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 recommended the variety efforts had made air travel less safe.

At a White House press rundown on Friday, adremcareers.com press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an instant assessment of FAA hiring choices made during the previous administration.

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

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was “not typical”, 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, referall.us which manages air traffic control along with accreditation of workers and aircraft, is without an irreversible administrator. Its previous boss 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 during his period at the FAA.

Since beginning as head of the administration in October 2023, he was also required to react to Boeing’s security and quality issues, and worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of personnel.

Learn more:.
Washington DC plane crash: What we understand so far.
Air traffic control heard diverting airplanes moments after collision

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

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer extreme intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative defined on the company’s website.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities responded to these claims, stating in a statement on X: “FAA staff members with impairments did not cause [the] awful airplane crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is incredibly improper for the president to utilize this disaster to press 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 requirements of air traffic controllers”.

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He answered: “It might have, I do not know.