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

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

Sixty-seven people were killed when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter collided 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 workers were sent out to the scene, however the rescue quickly turned into a recovery mission as officials stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal investigators have actually recovered the black boxes from the passenger jet, while authorities were still browsing 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 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 actually been validated to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the examination.

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

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 guests and 4 crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, bring 3 soldiers, employment 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 hit the helicopter in one of the most firmly controlled airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

A guy whose other half was on the flight has actually 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 “texted me [and] said, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unproven variety drive claim

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

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

Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump suggested the diversity efforts had actually 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 instant evaluation of FAA hiring choices made during 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 typical”, according to a preliminary FAA report.

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

The FAA, which manages air traffic control service as well as accreditation of workers and aircraft, is without a permanent administrator. Its former manager Michael Whitaker stepped down on 20 January – the day of Mr Trump’s inauguration.

Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app Mr Trump has actually 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 period at the FAA.

Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was also required to react to and quality problems, employment and worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a shortage of personnel.

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

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

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer serious intellectual disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring effort spelled out on the agency’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, saying in a declaration on X: “FAA staff members with specials needs did not cause [the] tragic plane crash.

” The examination into the crash is still ongoing. It is incredibly unsuitable for the president to utilize this catastrophe 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 recently, he signed an executive order which “brought back the highest requirements of air traffic controllers”.

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He answered: “It may have, I don’t know.