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

Authorities have actually recovered 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 identified.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the accident. Some 300 workers were sent out to the scene, but the rescue soon developed into a recovery mission as officials stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal investigators have actually recuperated the black boxes from the passenger jet, while authorities were still looking for comparable gadgets 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 service had let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, initially reported by the New York 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 plane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 airplane clashed.

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 guests and 4 crew 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 hit the helicopter in among the most firmly controlled airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency automobiles sped past me’

A man whose better half was on the flight has recalled how he saw emergency services “speeding past” as he was waiting at the airport to pick her up.

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

” I was waiting and I started seeing a lot of EMS lorries speeding past me … method too numerous, [more] than normal 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 governments to the crash.

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

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

At a White House press instruction on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA working with choices made during the previous administration.

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

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

The tower typically has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was managing both plane and employment helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service as well as certification of workers and airplane, 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 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 likewise forced to react to Boeing’s security and quality problems, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a shortage of staff.

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

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

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively recruiting employees who suffer extreme intellectual specials needs, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring initiative defined on the firm’s website.”

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

” The examination into the crash is still ongoing. It is very inappropriate for the president to utilize this catastrophe to push an anti-diversity hiring program. 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 greatest standards of air traffic controllers”.

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race played a role. He answered: “It may have, I don’t know.