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

Authorities have actually recovered 41 bodies after an 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 actually been identified.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 workers were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly turned into a healing objective as officials stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal investigators have actually recovered the black boxes from the guest jet, while authorities were still searching for comparable devices 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 confirmed that an air traffic control manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, first 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 airplane and helicopter traffic in the area when the two airplane clashed.

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

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

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

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

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

Hamaad Raza told NBC News his spouse of two years, Asra, 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 … way too numerous, [more] than typical and my texts weren’t going through.”

Trump makes unverified 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 because 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 stated Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an instant assessment of FAA employing decisions made throughout the previous administration.

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

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

The tower usually has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was overseeing both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control along with accreditation of workers and adremcareers.com airplane, is without 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 appointed an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had clashed with 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 likewise required to respond to Boeing’s safety and quality issues, and worked to hire more air traffic controllers due to a lack of staff.

Find out more:.
Washington DC aircraft crash: What we know so far.
Air traffic control service heard diverting aircrafts moments after crash

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

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

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

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

” The examination into the crash is still ongoing. It is very improper for the president to utilize this disaster to push an anti-diversity hiring program. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.”

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Mr Trump said after being sworn in recently, he signed an executive order which “brought back the highest requirements of air traffic controllers”.

At a later rundown, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He addressed: “It may have, I do not know.