Authorities have recovered 40 bodies from the Potomac River following the mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C. A total of 67 people on both aircraft died in the tragic accident.
The National Transportation Safety Board has salvaged the black boxes from the Bombardier CRJ700. These recorders are presently being analysed for details on the sequence of events leading to the collision. According to preliminary reports, air traffic control staffing levels at Reagan National Airport were “not normal” during the incident and might have contributed to the crash.
The victims included 12-year-old U.S. figure skater Olivia Ter, Howard University professor Kiah Duggins, Russian former world champion skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov among the passengers.
President Donald Trump blamed the crash on diversity hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration, suggesting it compromised safety in air travel. Those comments were highly controversial and debated.
As the recovery operations go on, the question everybody is still asking is what caused this terrible accident. The analysis of the recovered black boxes should provide vital information that will prevent a recurrence of the tragedy in future.
Stay tuned to The Maltese Herald for further updates.
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