Plane’s black boxes recovered by investigators

Investigators on Thursday successfully recovered the black boxes from a passenger plane involved in a mid-air collision with a military helicopter over Washington’s Potomac River, which resulted in the deaths of 67 people.

As rescuers continued to retrieve victims’ bodies from the freezing waters, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder had been recovered from the Bombardier jet operated by an American Airlines subsidiary. The collision, which occurred late on Wednesday, involved an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

“The recorders are at the NTSB labs for evaluation,” the agency said in a statement to AFP.

Reports have suggested that staffing issues at Reagan National Airport, where the airliner was preparing to land, may have played a role. A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report noted that only one controller was handling both the plane and helicopter traffic, instead of the usual two, according to a New York Times report.

The collision, which caused a fireball to erupt in the night sky, marked the first major air crash in the United States since 2009. The crash occurred as American Eagle Flight 5342, traveling from Wichita, Kansas, was attempting to land. The accident left rescuers with the grim task of searching for bodies in the dark and cold waters, with over 40 bodies recovered by Thursday evening.

Trump politicises tragedy

US President Donald Trump, during a press conference on the disaster, used the incident as a platform to launch a political attack on diversity and inclusion (DEI) policies, which he argued were responsible for the crash. Trump accused his Democratic predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, of prioritising diversity over competence in federal agencies.

“They actually came out with a directive: ‘too white.’ And we want the people that are competent,” Trump claimed, referring to DEI measures intended to combat racism and sexism. The remarks were directed at Biden’s openly gay transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, whom Trump criticised for his handling of diversity within the transportation sector. “He’s run it right into the ground with his diversity,” Trump said.

Trump’s comments drew swift backlash, with Buttigieg calling Trump “despicable” on X, and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy condemning the remarks as “disgusting.” Murphy further stated, “He’s in charge. This happened on his watch.”

In response, Trump doubled down, issuing a memo to investigate “deterioration in hiring standards” under the Biden administration, demanding the replacement of any unqualified personnel.

Skaters among the victims

Among the victims of the crash were several US skaters and coaches, including members of the US Figure Skating team. Russian news sources confirmed that the crash also claimed the lives of world champion pairs figure skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov. Additionally, two Chinese nationals were among those killed, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

As the wreckage was pulled from the river, the likelihood of survivors quickly diminished. “I just saw a fireball and it was gone,” an air traffic controller was overheard saying after communication with the helicopter was lost.

Transport officials confirmed that both the plane and the helicopter were following standard flight patterns on a clear night with good visibility. The helicopter was reported to have had a “fairly experienced crew” conducting a required annual night evaluation.

As the investigation continues, both the NTSB and authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the tragic accident.