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

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

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

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 workers were sent to the scene, but the rescue quickly turned into a healing objective as officials stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal investigators have actually recuperated the black boxes from the guest jet, job while authorities were still looking for similar gadgets 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 validated that an air traffic control manager had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

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

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

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 guests and 4 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 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 recalled 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 spouse of 2 years, Asra, job had “texted me [and] said, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unproven diversity drive claim

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

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

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

At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA hiring choices made throughout 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 generally has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was overseeing both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control as well as accreditation of personnel and aircraft, lacks an irreversible 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 clashed with 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 air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of staff.

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Washington DC aircraft crash: job What we understand up until now.
Air traffic service heard diverting airplanes minutes after crash

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

” We need to have our most intelligent people,” he stated. “They have to be naturally skilled geniuses.”

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

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

” The examination into the crash is still continuous. It is exceptionally improper for the president to use this tragedy to press 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 “brought back the greatest standards of air traffic controllers”.

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