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

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

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, however the rescue quickly became a healing mission as officials said there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal investigators have actually recovered the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still looking for similar gadgets 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 supervisor had let a controller leave their shift early.

The detail, first 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 airplane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 airplane clashed.

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

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

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

'Em ergency vehicles sped past me'

A male whose partner 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 partner of 2 years, Asra, had "texted me [and] stated, 'We're landing in 20 minutes'".

" I was waiting and I started seeing a lot of EMS automobiles 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 actually linked 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 variety efforts had made flight less safe.

At a White House press briefing on Friday, job press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Mr Trump had actually signed a memorandum directing an instant assessment of FAA employing choices made throughout the previous administration.

While Mr Trump's claim appears to have actually been debunked, there are concerns 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 said, one controller was overseeing both plane and helicopter activity.

The FAA, which controls air traffic control service as well as accreditation of workers 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 actually selected an acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, in the wake of the crash.

Mr Whitaker had encountered Mr Trump's confidante over the SpaceX rocket launches during his period at the FAA.

Since beginning 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 scarcity of staff.

Read more:. Washington DC plane crash: What we know up until now. Air traffic control service heard diverting planes moments after collision

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

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

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

The American Association of People with Disabilities responded to these claims, job saying in a declaration on X: "FAA staff members with impairments did not cause [the] tragic airplane crash.

" The investigation into the crash is still continuous. It is very improper for the president to use this disaster to press an anti-diversity hiring program. Doing so makes all Americans less safe."

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Mr Trump stated after being sworn in recently, he signed an executive order which "brought back the greatest requirements of air traffic controllers".

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He responded to: "It might have, I do not know.