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

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

Sixty-seven people were killed 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 collision. Some 300 personnel were sent out to the scene, but the rescue soon turned into a healing mission as officials stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal private investigators have recuperated the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still looking 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, initially reported by the New york city Times, has actually been verified to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source knowledgeable about the investigation.

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It suggests a single controller was handling both plane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 aircraft collided.

It is allowed – but not optimum – for one controller to do both tasks, NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 passengers and 4 team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, bring three 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 collided with the helicopter in among the most tightly controlled airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency vehicles sped past me’

A guy whose other half was on the flight has actually recalled how he saw emergency services “speeding past” as he was waiting at the airport to choose her up.

Hamaad Raza informed NBC News his other half of 2 years, Asra, employment had “texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unverified variety drive claim

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

It has considering that been stated there is no proof to support the US president’s claim.

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

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

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

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

The tower normally has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, employment a source stated, one controller was supervising both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service in addition to certification of personnel and airplane, lacks 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 encountered Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his tenure at the FAA.

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

Learn more:.
Washington DC aircraft crash: What we up until now.
Air traffic control heard diverting airplanes minutes after accident

At his briefing, employment Mr Trump blamed former president Joe Biden for decreasing requirements for air traffic controllers.

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

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer severe intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring effort spelled out on the agency’s website.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, saying in a declaration on X: “FAA staff members with specials needs did not trigger [the] tragic aircraft crash.

” The examination into the crash is still ongoing. It is very inappropriate for employment the president to use 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 requirements of air traffic controllers”.

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He answered: “It might have, I don’t understand.