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 clashed mid-air on Wednesday night. So far, 28 bodies have been recognized.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 workers were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly turned into a healing mission as authorities 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 similar devices in the helicopter.

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

The information, initially reported by the New york city Times, has been verified to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the examination.

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It means a single controller was managing both airplane and helicopter traffic in the location when the two airplane collided.

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

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

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive at runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in one of the most securely controlled airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency cars sped past me’

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

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

” I was waiting and I started seeing a bunch of EMS cars speeding past me … method a lot of, [more] than regular and my texts weren’t going through.”

Trump makes unproven diversity drive claim

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

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

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump recommended the diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.

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

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have 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”, according to an initial FAA report.

The tower usually has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was managing both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control along with accreditation of workers and aircraft, lacks 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 designated an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had actually clashed with 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 safety and quality issues, somalibidders.com and worked to hire more air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of personnel.

Learn more:.
Washington DC airplane crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control heard diverting aircrafts moments after collision

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

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer extreme intellectual specials needs, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative defined on the company’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a statement on X: “FAA staff members with specials needs did not cause [the] awful aircraft crash.

” The examination into the crash is still continuous. It is extremely improper for referall.us the president to use this tragedy 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 highest requirements of air traffic controllers”.

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He addressed: “It may have, I do not understand.