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

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

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

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the accident. Some 300 personnel were sent out to the scene, but the rescue quickly developed into a healing objective as authorities said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal private investigators have recovered the black boxes from the guest jet, while authorities were still looking for comparable gadgets in the helicopter.

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

The detail, first reported by the New york city Times, adremcareers.com has actually been verified to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source knowledgeable about the examination.

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It means a single controller was dealing with both plane and helicopter traffic in the area when the 2 airplane collided.

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

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 3 soldiers, quickly before 9pm local time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it clashed with the helicopter in one of the most tightly managed airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency cars sped past me’

A male whose better half was on the flight has actually 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 actually « 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 … way a lot of, [more] than typical and my texts weren’t going through. »

Trump makes unproven diversity drive claim

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

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

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

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

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have actually been debunked, there are questions 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 generally has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was supervising both aircraft and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control as well as accreditation of personnel and aircraft, is without a long-term administrator. Its former employer 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 selected an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, somalibidders.com 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 respond to Boeing’s safety and quality issues, and worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a lack of staff.

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

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

 » We have to have our smartest people, » he said. « They have to be naturally talented geniuses. »

Mr Trump added: « The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer serious intellectual impairments, psychiatric problems, and other psychological and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring initiative defined on the firm’s site. »

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, saying in a declaration on X: « FAA staff members with impairments did not cause [the] tragic airplane crash.

 » The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is very unsuitable for the president to utilize this catastrophe to press an anti-diversity hiring program. Doing so makes all less safe. »

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Mr Trump stated after being sworn in recently, he signed an executive order which « restored the highest standards of air traffic controllers ».

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