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

Authorities have actually recovered 41 bodies after a plane crash in Washington DC.

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

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

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal private investigators have actually recuperated the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still searching for similar 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 validated that an air traffic control supervisor had let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, first reported by the New York Times, has actually been verified to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source knowledgeable about the investigation.

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

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 passengers and 4 crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three 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 clashed with the helicopter in one of the most tightly managed airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency cars sped past me’

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

Hamaad Raza informed NBC News his better half of two 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 lorries 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 linked a variety drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous governments to the crash.

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

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

At a White House press rundown on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA working with 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”, according to a preliminary FAA report.

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

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service as well as accreditation of workers 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 actually encountered Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket throughout his period at the FAA.

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

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

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

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

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively recruiting employees who suffer serious intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring initiative defined on the firm’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a statement on X: “FAA workers with impairments did not trigger [the] tragic airplane crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is exceptionally unsuitable for the president to use this tragedy to press an anti-diversity hiring program. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.”

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Mr Trump said after being sworn in last week, 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 played a function. He answered: “It may have, I do not know.