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

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

Sixty-seven individuals 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 recognized.

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

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

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

The information, first reported by the New York Times, has 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 area when the two airplane collided.

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

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three 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 managed airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency vehicles 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 pick her up.

Hamaad Raza informed NBC News his wife of two years, Asra, had actually “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 … method too many, [more] than typical and my texts weren’t going through.”

Trump makes unproven variety drive claim

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

It has actually since 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 made flight less safe.

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

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have actually been debunked, there are questions over staffing at National Airport.

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was “not typical”, according to an initial 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 helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control along with accreditation of personnel and airplane, is without a permanent 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 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 throughout his tenure at the FAA.

Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was likewise required to react to Boeing’s safety and quality problems, and worked to hire more air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of staff.

Read more:.
Washington DC airplane crash: What we know so far.
Air traffic control heard diverting aircrafts minutes after crash

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

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

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer serious intellectual specials needs, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a variety and inclusion hiring effort spelled out on the agency’s site.”

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

” The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is very unsuitable for the president to use this tragedy to push 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 “brought back the greatest 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 understand.