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

Authorities have recovered 41 bodies after an airplane crash in Washington DC.

Sixty-seven individuals were killed when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter collided 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, but the rescue quickly developed into a recovery mission as officials said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal private investigators have actually recovered the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still looking for similar 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, job it’s been verified that an air traffic control service supervisor had let a controller leave their shift early.

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

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It means a single controller was dealing with both airplane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 airplane collided.

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 travelers and 4 team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 3 soldiers, soon before 9pm local time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive on 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 better half was on the flight has recalled how he saw emergency services “speeding past” as he was waiting at the airport to choose her up.

Hamaad Raza informed NBC News his partner of two years, Asra, had actually “texted me [and] said, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes drive claim

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

It has since been said 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 actually made flight less safe.

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

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have been exposed, 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 particularly on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was overseeing both plane and job helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service along with accreditation of workers and airplane, lacks a long-term 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 selected 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 throughout his tenure at the FAA.

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

Learn more:.
Washington DC plane crash: What we understand so far.
Air traffic control heard diverting aircrafts minutes after collision

At his rundown, job Mr Trump blamed previous president Joe Biden for decreasing requirements for air traffic controllers.

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer serious intellectual impairments, psychiatric problems, and other psychological and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring initiative spelled out on the company’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities responded to these claims, job stating in a declaration on X: “FAA employees with impairments did not cause [the] terrible plane crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is very improper 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 recently, he signed an executive order which “restored the highest standards of air traffic controllers”.

At a later rundown, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He responded to: “It might have, I don’t know.