Authorities have actually recovered 41 bodies after an aircraft 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 been determined.

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the collision. Some 300 workers were sent out to the scene, but the rescue soon became a recovery objective as authorities stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

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

Meanwhile, amidst 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 information, initially reported by the New york city Times, has actually been confirmed to Sky News' US partner NBC News by a source familiar with the investigation.

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It means a single controller was dealing with both plane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 aircraft clashed.

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

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

Flight 5342 was preparing to arrive at runway 33 at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it clashed with the helicopter in among the most securely controlled airspaces worldwide.

'Em ergency vehicles sped past me'

A man whose spouse 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 lorries speeding past me ... method a lot of, [more] than regular and my texts weren't going through."

Trump makes unverified diversity drive claim

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

It has given that been stated there is no proof to support the US president's claim.

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

At a White House press rundown on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of FAA employing choices 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 an initial 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 supervising both plane and Job helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service in addition to 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 an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had clashed with Mr Trump's confidante Elon Musk over the SpaceX rocket launches throughout his tenure at the FAA.

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

Read more:. Washington DC aircraft crash: What we understand up until now. Air traffic control heard diverting planes moments after accident

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

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

Mr Trump included: "The FAA is actively hiring workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other psychological and physical conditions under a variety and addition hiring initiative defined on the firm's site."

The American Association of People with Disabilities reacted to these claims, job saying in a declaration on X: "FAA workers with disabilities did not cause [the] awful plane crash.

" The investigation into the crash is still ongoing. It is very inappropriate for the president to use this tragedy to push an anti-diversity hiring program. 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 highest requirements of air traffic controllers".

At a later briefing, he was asked if gender or race played a function. He addressed: "It may have, I don't understand.