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

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, but the rescue soon developed into a healing mission as officials said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal investigators have recovered the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still looking for comparable devices in the helicopter.

Meanwhile, in the middle of questions 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 service supervisor had let a controller leave their shift early.

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

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

It is allowed – but not optimum – for one controller to do both jobs, employment NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 guests and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, bring three soldiers, employment quickly before 9pm local time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in among the most firmly controlled airspaces in the world.

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

A man whose other half 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 2 years, Asra, had actually “texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unverified diversity 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 given that been stated there is no evidence to support the US president’s claim.

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

At a White House press instruction on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA employing decisions 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 an initial FAA report.

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

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service as well as certification of personnel and aircraft, lacks an irreversible 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 appointed an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had encountered 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 required to respond to Boeing’s security and quality issues, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of personnel.

Learn more:.
Washington DC airplane crash: What we understand so far.
Air traffic control service heard diverting airplanes minutes after crash

At his briefing, Mr Trump blamed former president Joe Biden for employment reducing standards for air traffic .

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer serious intellectual specials needs, psychiatric problems, 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, saying in a declaration on X: “FAA employees with specials needs did not trigger [the] terrible plane crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is incredibly 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 instruction, he was asked if gender or race played a role. He responded to: “It might have, I don’t know.