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

Abbie Robles edited this page 2025-03-03 21:09:40 +02:00

Authorities have actually recovered 41 bodies after an aircraft 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 recognized.

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 workers were sent out to the scene, however the rescue soon developed into a recovery mission as authorities stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the most recent updates

Federal detectives have recovered the black boxes from the passenger jet, while authorities were still for comparable 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 supervisor employment had let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, employment initially reported by the New York Times, has been verified to Sky News' US partner NBC News by a source acquainted with the examination.

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It indicates a single controller was dealing with both airplane and helicopter traffic in the location when the two aircraft clashed.

It is allowable - but not ideal - for one controller to do both tasks, NBC News reported.

The American Airlines jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, shortly 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 managed airspaces worldwide.

'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 select her up.

Hamaad Raza informed NBC News his partner of 2 years, Asra, had "texted me [and] said, 'We're landing in 20 minutes'".

" I was waiting and I began seeing a lot of EMS lorries speeding past me ... method a lot of, [more] than normal and my texts weren't going through."

Trump makes unverified variety drive claim

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

It has actually since been said there is no evidence to support the US president's claim.

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

At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA hiring decisions made throughout 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 a preliminary FAA report.

The tower normally has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic - but at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was managing both airplane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control in addition to certification of personnel and aircraft, is without 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 designated 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 period at the FAA.

Since starting as head of the administration in October 2023, he was likewise forced to react to Boeing's security and quality problems, and worked to employ more air traffic controllers due to a lack of staff.

Read more:. Washington DC airplane crash: What we understand up until now. Air traffic control service heard diverting airplanes minutes after crash

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

" We have to have our smartest people," he said. "They have to be naturally gifted geniuses."

Mr Trump added: "The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer extreme intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a variety and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the firm's website."

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, saying in a declaration on X: "FAA workers with specials needs did not trigger [the] tragic plane crash.

" The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is extremely unsuitable for employment the president to utilize this tragedy to press 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 instruction, he was asked if gender or race played a role. He answered: "It may have, I don't understand.