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

Authorities have recovered 41 bodies after a plane crash in Washington DC.

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

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

Washington crash: Follow the newest updates

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

Meanwhile, 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 service supervisor had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, first reported by the New York Times, has actually been validated to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the examination.

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

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

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 3 soldiers, quickly 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 one of the most tightly managed airspaces in the world.

‘Em ergency automobiles sped past me’

A guy whose partner was on the flight has actually recalled 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 spouse of 2 years, employment 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 unproven diversity drive claim

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

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

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

At a White House press instruction on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an instant assessment of FAA working with decisions made during the previous administration.

While Mr Trump’s claim appears to have been exposed, there are questions over staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport.

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was “not normal”, 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 stated, employment one controller was overseeing both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control along with accreditation of workers and aircraft, is without a long-term administrator. Its previous manager Michael Whitaker stepped down on 20 January – the day of Mr .

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 tenure at the FAA.

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

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

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

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

Mr Trump added: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer serious intellectual disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring effort spelled out on the firm’s website.”

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

” The examination into the crash is still continuous. It is incredibly improper for the president to utilize this tragedy 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 “brought back the greatest 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 understand.