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

Authorities have recovered 41 bodies after an aircraft 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 identified.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 personnel were sent out to the scene, but the rescue quickly developed into a recovery mission as officials stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

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

Meanwhile, amid concerns over how well the airport’s control tower was staffed on the night of the crash, it’s been verified that an air traffic had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, referall.us first reported by the New york city Times, has been verified to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source acquainted with the examination.

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It suggests a single controller was handling both plane and helicopter traffic in the location when the two aircraft collided.

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

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 guests 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 at runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in among the most firmly managed airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

A male whose partner 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 wife of 2 years, Asra, had “texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

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

Trump makes unproven variety drive claim

Donald Trump has connected a diversity drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous 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 flight 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 assessment of FAA working with decisions made throughout the previous administration.

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have actually been exposed, there are questions 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 normally has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was managing both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control in addition to certification of workers and aircraft, lacks a long-term administrator. Its former 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 actually appointed an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had actually encountered Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches during 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 shortage of staff.

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

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

” We have to have our most intelligent individuals,” he stated. “They need to be naturally gifted geniuses.”

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively recruiting employees who suffer severe intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring initiative spelled out on the agency’s website.”

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

” The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is exceptionally unsuitable for the president to use this disaster 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 last week, he signed an executive order which “restored the greatest standards of air traffic controllers”.

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He answered: “It may have, I do not understand.