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

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

Sixty-seven individuals were eliminated when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter clashed mid-air on Wednesday night. Up until now, 28 bodies have been determined.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly developed into a recovery objective as officials said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most current updates

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

Meanwhile, in the middle of 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 manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

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

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It means a single controller was handling both airplane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 aircraft clashed.

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

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 guests and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 3 soldiers, shortly before 9pm regional 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 one of the most securely controlled airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency vehicles sped past me’

A guy whose other half was on the flight has actually remembered 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 2 years, Asra, had actually « texted me [and] said, ‘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 unverified variety drive claim

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

It has actually considering that been stated there is no evidence to support the US president’s claim.

at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump recommended the variety efforts had actually made flight less safe.

At a White House press rundown on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an instant assessment of FAA hiring choices made throughout 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 – however at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was overseeing both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service in addition to certification of personnel and aircraft, lacks a permanent administrator. Its previous 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 selected 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 during his period at the FAA.

Since beginning as head of the administration in October 2023, he was likewise forced to react to Boeing’s security and quality issues, and worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a shortage of personnel.

Find out more:.
Washington DC airplane crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control heard diverting airplanes moments after accident

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

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

Mr Trump added: « The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring effort defined on the firm’s site. »

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a statement on X: « FAA employees with disabilities did not trigger [the] terrible plane crash.

 » The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is extremely inappropriate for the president to utilize this disaster 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 greatest 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 understand.