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

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

Both aircraft crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 workers were sent out to the scene, but the rescue soon turned into a healing mission as authorities stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the latest updates

Federal private investigators have recuperated the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still browsing for comparable gadgets 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 validated that an air traffic control manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

The detail, initially reported by the New York Times, has been confirmed 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 aircraft and helicopter traffic in the area when the two airplane clashed.

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 travelers and 4 team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, bring 3 soldiers, quickly before 9pm regional time on Wednesday.

Flight 5342 was preparing to land on runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the helicopter in one of the most securely controlled airspaces worldwide.

'Em ergency cars sped past me'

A guy whose spouse was on the flight has remembered how he saw emergency services "speeding past" as he was waiting at the airport to select her up.

Hamaad Raza told NBC News his better half of 2 years, Asra, had actually "texted me [and] stated, 'We're landing in 20 minutes'".

" I was waiting and I started seeing a bunch of EMS automobiles speeding past me ... method a lot of, [more] than typical and my texts weren't going through."

Trump makes unverified diversity 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 because been said there is no proof 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 rundown on Friday, employment press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant evaluation of FAA employing decisions made throughout 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 normally has a controller who focuses specifically on helicopter traffic - however at the time of the crash, a source said, one controller was managing both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which manages air traffic control service as well as certification of personnel and aircraft, is without an irreversible administrator. Its previous employer 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 encountered 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 employment worked to hire 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 collision

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

" We need to have our most intelligent individuals," he stated. "They have to be naturally skilled geniuses."

Mr Trump added: "The FAA is actively hiring employees who suffer serious intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring effort spelled out on the company's website."

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

" The examination into the crash is still ongoing. It is exceptionally improper for the president to use this catastrophe to press an anti-diversity hiring program. 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 "restored the greatest standards of air traffic controllers".

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He addressed: "It may have, I do not understand.