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

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

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

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, job however the rescue soon developed into a recovery mission as said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

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

Meanwhile, in the middle of 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 control service manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

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

More on Washington Crash

-.
Captain Rebecca Lobach: Third helicopter pilot who passed away in Washington crash was former White House assistant

-.
Washington DC crash: Data from airplane’s black boxes gives clashing info on altitudes – as photos of 3rd soldier with Joe Biden and Ralph Lauren emerge

-.
Black Hawk helicopter was on emergency situation evacuation trial run before Washington DC crash, authorities state

Related Topics:

Washington crash.

Please use Chrome web browser for a more available video gamer

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

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

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

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it hit the helicopter in one of the most tightly controlled airspaces worldwide.

‘Em ergency lorries sped past me’

A man whose spouse was on the flight has remembered how he saw emergency services “speeding past” as he was waiting at the airport to pick her up.

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

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

Trump makes unproven diversity drive claim

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

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

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

At a White House press rundown on Friday, job 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 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 normal”, according to an initial FAA report.

The tower usually has a controller who focuses particularly on helicopter traffic – however at the time of the crash, a source stated, job one controller was managing both aircraft and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service in addition to certification of personnel and aircraft, 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 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, job he was also required to react to Boeing’s security and quality issues, and worked to work with more air traffic controllers due to a shortage of personnel.

Find out more:.
Washington DC airplane crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control heard diverting airplanes moments after accident

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

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

Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer extreme intellectual specials needs, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring initiative spelled out on the firm’s site.”

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a declaration on X: “FAA employees with specials needs did not cause [the] tragic aircraft crash.

” The examination into the crash is still ongoing. It is exceptionally inappropriate for job the president to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda. Doing so makes all Americans less safe.”

Please use Chrome internet browser for a more accessible video gamer

Mr Trump said after being sworn in last week, he signed an executive order which “restored the greatest requirements of air traffic controllers”.

At a later rundown, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He responded to: “It might have, I do not understand.