Washington DC Plane Crash: Authorities Recover 41 Bodies After Mid-air Collision
Authorities have actually recovered 41 bodies after an airplane 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 identified.
Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly developed into a healing objective as officials said there were no survivors.
Washington crash: Follow the newest updates
Federal detectives have recovered the black boxes from the passenger jet, while authorities were still browsing 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 control manager had actually let a controller leave their shift early.
The detail, initially reported by the New York Times, has actually been confirmed to Sky News’ US partner NBC News by a source acquainted with the investigation.
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It means a single controller was dealing with both plane and helicopter traffic in the area when the two airplane collided.
It is allowable – but not optimum – for one controller to do both jobs, NBC News reported.
The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and 4 crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, shortly before 9pm regional time on Wednesday.
Flight 5342 was to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the helicopter in among the most securely controlled airspaces in the world.
‘Em ergency vehicles 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 select her up.
Hamaad Raza told NBC News his spouse 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 vehicles speeding past me … method a lot of, [more] than normal and my texts weren’t going through.”
Trump makes unproven diversity drive claim
Donald Trump has linked a variety drive at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under previous governments to the crash.
It has because been said there is no evidence to support the US president’s claim.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump recommended the diversity efforts had made air travel less safe.
At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of FAA employing decisions made throughout 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 normal”, according to an initial FAA report.
The tower typically has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic – but at the time of the crash, a source stated, one controller was supervising both airplane and helicopter activity.
The FAA, somalibidders.com which manages air traffic control service along with accreditation of workers and airplane, is without a long-term 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 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 during his tenure at the FAA.
Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was also required to react to Boeing’s safety and quality issues, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a lack of staff.
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Washington DC aircraft crash: What we understand up until now.
Air traffic control heard diverting airplanes minutes after crash
At his rundown, Mr Trump blamed previous president Joe Biden for decreasing requirements for referall.us air traffic controllers.
” We have to have our most intelligent people,” he said. “They have to be naturally gifted geniuses.”
Mr Trump included: “The FAA is actively recruiting employees who suffer serious intellectual specials needs, psychiatric issues, and other psychological and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring initiative defined on the firm’s website.”
The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, stating in a statement on X: “FAA staff members with impairments did not trigger [the] tragic airplane crash.
” The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is incredibly inappropriate for the president to utilize this catastrophe to push an anti-diversity hiring program. 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 highest standards of air traffic controllers”.
At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race played a role. He addressed: “It might have, I do not understand.
