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

Authorities have recovered 41 bodies after an airplane crash in Washington DC.

Sixty-seven people were eliminated when an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter collided mid-air on Wednesday night. So far, 28 bodies have been determined.

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, but the rescue quickly turned into a recovery objective as authorities said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal investigators have actually recuperated the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still browsing for similar 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 manager had actually let a controller leave their shift early.

The detail, first reported by the New York Times, has actually been confirmed to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source knowledgeable about the investigation.

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It indicates a single controller was dealing with both aircraft and helicopter traffic in the area when the 2 airplane collided.

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

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

‘Em ergency vehicles sped past me’

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

Hamaad Raza told NBC News his spouse of 2 years, employment Asra, had “texted me [and] said, ‘We’re landing in 20 minutes'”.

” I was waiting and I started seeing a bunch of EMS vehicles speeding past me … method a lot of, [more] than regular and my texts weren’t going through.”

Trump makes unproven variety drive claim

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

It has actually given that 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 instruction on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA hiring choices made during the previous administration.

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

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was “not regular”, according to an initial FAA report.

The tower normally has a controller who focuses particularly 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 as well as accreditation of workers and aircraft, lacks a permanent administrator. Its previous 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 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 tenure at the FAA.

Since beginning as head of the administration in October 2023, he was likewise required to react to Boeing’s safety and quality problems, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a scarcity of staff.

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Washington DC airplane crash: employment What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control service heard diverting planes moments after accident

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

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer serious intellectual disabilities, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative defined on the agency’s website.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a declaration on X: “FAA staff members with impairments did not trigger [the] awful aircraft crash.

” The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is exceptionally improper 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 recently, he signed an executive order which “brought back 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 don’t know.