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


Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, but the rescue soon became a healing objective as officials said there were no survivors.


Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates


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


Meanwhile, amidst concerns over how well the airport's control tower was staffed on the night of the crash, employment it's been validated that an air traffic control manager had actually let a controller leave their shift early.


The detail, initially reported by the New York Times, has actually been validated to Sky News' US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the investigation.


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It implies a single controller was managing both plane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 airplane collided.


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


The American Airlines jet was bring 60 travelers and four team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, bring three soldiers, soon before 9pm local time on Wednesday.


Flight 5342 was preparing to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in among the most tightly managed airspaces in the world.


'Em ergency automobiles sped past me'


A male whose better half was on the flight has actually remembered 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 other half 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 automobiles speeding past me ... way a lot of, [more] than regular and my texts weren't going through."


Trump makes unproven variety 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 variety efforts had actually 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 assessment of FAA employing decisions made during the previous administration.


While Mr Trump's claim appears to have actually been unmasked, there are questions 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 normally has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic - but at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was supervising both airplane and helicopter activity.


The FAA, which manages air traffic control along with certification of workers and aircraft, lacks a long-term administrator. Its previous 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, in the wake of the crash.


Mr Whitaker had encountered Mr Trump's confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his period 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 worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of personnel.


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


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


" We need to have our most intelligent people," he said. "They need to be naturally skilled geniuses."


Mr Trump added: "The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer severe intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring effort spelled out on the company's website."


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


" The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is extremely improper for employment the president to use this tragedy to press an anti-diversity hiring agenda. 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 function. He responded to: "It might have, employment I do not know.