Authorities have 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 actually been recognized.

Both airplane crashed into the Potomac River after the crash. Some 300 personnel were sent to the scene, but the rescue quickly developed into a recovery mission as officials stated there were no survivors.

Washington crash: Follow the current updates

Federal investigators have recuperated the black boxes from the traveler jet, while authorities were still searching for comparable gadgets in the helicopter.

Meanwhile, amidst 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 manager had let a controller leave their shift early.

The information, first reported by the New york city Times, has 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 airplane and helicopter traffic in the location when the 2 airplane clashed.

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

The American Airlines jet was bring 60 travelers and employment 4 team when it crashed with the Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, soon 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 among the most firmly managed airspaces on the planet.

'Em ergency cars sped past me'

A man whose better half was on the flight has actually remembered 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 better half 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 vehicles speeding past me ... way too lots of, [more] than normal and my texts weren't going through."

Trump makes unverified 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 considering 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 made flight less safe.

At a White House press briefing on Friday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump had signed a memorandum directing an immediate assessment of FAA employing decisions made during the previous administration.

While Mr Trump's claim appears to have actually been unmasked, there are questions over staffing at Reagan Washington National Airport.

NBC News reported staffing in the air traffic control tower was "not typical", according to an initial FAA report.

The tower generally 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 manages air traffic control service as well as certification of personnel and airplane, 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 appointed 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 during his period at the FAA.

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

Learn more:. Washington DC aircraft crash: What we understand up until now. Air traffic control service heard diverting planes minutes after collision

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

" We need to have our smartest individuals," he said. "They need to be naturally skilled geniuses."

Mr Trump added: "The FAA is actively recruiting employees who suffer serious intellectual impairments, psychiatric issues, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and addition hiring effort defined on the firm's website."

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

" The examination into the crash is still continuous. It is exceptionally improper for the president to utilize this catastrophe to push an anti-diversity hiring agenda. 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 "restored the highest requirements of controllers".

At a later instruction, he was asked if gender or race contributed. He responded to: "It might have, I don't understand.