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

Authorities have actually recuperated 41 bodies after an airplane 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 actually been determined.

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the accident. Some 300 workers were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly turned into a recovery mission as authorities stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal private investigators have recovered the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still searching for similar 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 let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, first reported by the New York Times, has been validated to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source acquainted with the investigation.

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It suggests a single controller was handling both plane and helicopter traffic in the area when the two airplane clashed.

It is permitted – however not ideal – for one controller to do both tasks, employment NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 travelers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 3 soldiers, shortly 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 one of the most tightly managed airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency vehicles sped past me’

A man whose wife was on the flight has remembered how he saw emergency services „speeding past“ as he was waiting at the airport to select her up.

Hamaad Raza told 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 started seeing a lot of EMS cars speeding past me … method too lots of, [more] than typical and my texts weren’t going through.“

Trump makes unverified diversity drive claim

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

It has actually since been stated 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 made air travel less safe.

At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said 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 typically has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was overseeing both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control service in addition to accreditation of workers and aircraft, is without an irreversible 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 encountered 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 also required to react to Boeing’s security and quality problems, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a of personnel.

Find out more:.
Washington DC plane crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control heard diverting planes minutes after crash

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

“ We have to have our smartest people,“ he stated. „They have to be naturally gifted geniuses.“

Mr Trump included: „The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer severe intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring initiative defined on the company’s site.“

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

“ The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is extremely improper for 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 „brought back the highest 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.