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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 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 aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 workers were sent to the scene, however the rescue soon turned into a recovery objective as authorities said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal private investigators have recuperated the black boxes from the guest jet, while authorities were still browsing 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 confirmed that an air traffic control supervisor had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, initially reported by the New york city Times, has been verified 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 plane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 aircraft clashed.

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

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

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive at runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the helicopter in one of the most securely managed airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency cars sped past me’

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

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

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

Trump makes unverified diversity drive claim

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

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

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

At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA working with decisions 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 typically has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source said, employment one controller was supervising both aircraft and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control in addition to accreditation of workers and aircraft, lacks 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 appointed 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 during his period at the FAA.

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

Learn more:.
Washington DC plane crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control service heard diverting aircrafts minutes after accident

At his instruction, Mr Trump blamed previous president Joe Biden for lowering requirements for employment air traffic controllers.

” We need 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 severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative defined on the company’s website.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities responded to these claims, saying in a statement on X: “FAA employees with disabilities did not trigger [the] terrible aircraft crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is very inappropriate 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 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 role. He answered: “It may have, employment I do not know.