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

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

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

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 workers were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly became a healing mission as authorities said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal private investigators have actually recuperated the black boxes from the guest jet, while authorities were still looking for similar gadgets in the helicopter.

Meanwhile, employment amid 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 manager had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

The detail, initially reported by the New York Times, has actually been verified to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the investigation.

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It implies a single controller was handling both plane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 airplane clashed.

It is allowed – however not ideal – for one controller to do both tasks, employment NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 guests and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, quickly 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 securely managed airspaces on the planet.

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

A guy whose wife was on the flight has remembered how he saw emergency situation services « speeding past » as he was waiting at the airport to choose her up.

Hamaad Raza told NBC News his wife of two years, Asra, had « texted me [and] stated, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes' ».

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

Trump makes unverified 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 given that been said there is no evidence to 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 rundown on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an immediate evaluation of FAA employing decisions made during the previous administration.

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have 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 a preliminary FAA report.

The tower generally has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, a source said, employment one controller was supervising both aircraft and employment helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control in addition to accreditation of personnel and airplane, is without 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 actually designated an acting administrator, employment Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had encountered Mr Trump’s confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his period at the FAA.

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

Read more:.
Washington DC plane crash: What we understand so far.
Air traffic control heard diverting aircrafts minutes after accident

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

 » We have to have our smartest people, » he stated. « They need to be naturally talented geniuses. »

Mr Trump included: « The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer severe intellectual specials needs, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring effort defined on the company’s site. »

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

 » The examination into the crash is still continuous. It is incredibly inappropriate for the president to use this catastrophe to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda. 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 « restored the highest requirements of air traffic controllers ».

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He addressed: « It might have, I do not know.