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

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

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

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 workers were sent out to the scene, however the rescue quickly developed into a recovery mission as authorities said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

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

Meanwhile, amidst 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 supervisor had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

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

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

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

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, bring 3 soldiers, shortly before 9pm regional 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 managed airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency automobiles sped past me’

A man whose other half was on the flight has 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 better half of 2 years, Asra, had “texted me [and] said, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unproven diversity drive claim

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

It has given that 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 actually made air travel less safe.

At a White House press rundown on Friday, referall.us press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of FAA hiring decisions made during the previous administration.

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have actually 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 usually has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was managing both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control as well as accreditation of personnel and aircraft, lacks a long-term administrator. Its former 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 Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his period at the FAA.

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

Read more:.
Washington DC aircraft crash: What we understand so far.
Air traffic control service heard diverting planes minutes after accident

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

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

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer extreme intellectual specials needs, psychiatric problems, and other psychological and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring effort spelled out on the company’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, saying in a declaration on X: “FAA workers with disabilities did not cause [the] terrible airplane crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is incredibly unsuitable for the president to utilize this disaster to press an anti-diversity hiring program. 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 greatest standards of air traffic controllers”.

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He addressed: “It might have, I do not know.