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An American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) plane and an Army helicopter’s mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has authorities looking for answers as President Donald Trump lashes out at DEI policies as an early scapegoat.
What Happened: The Wednesday night crash led to the death of 67 people aboard the two aircraft after which the search and rescue mission quickly turned into a recovery mission.
A total of 41 bodies have been recovered from the wreckage along with black boxes from the plane. Officials continue to look for the black box aboard the Army helicopter, reported NBC News.
American Airlines announced Friday that flight number 5342 will be retired and renamed as flight number 5677. Changing flight numbers after accidents is a common practice for the industry.
The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is operating as normal on Friday after facing closures following the accident.
Wednesday's plane crash is the deadliest aviation incident in the United States in 23 years.
What Could Investigation Find?: The investigation, which is being led by the National Transportation Safety Board, is in the early stages and preliminary findings from the black boxes could take around 30 days to be made public.
Early reports in the investigation from the Federal Aviation Administration point to one air traffic controller being left to do the jobs of two people, the New York Times reported.
The airport often has one air traffic controller handling air traffic and one handling helicopters. On some nights after 9:30 p.m. when traffic is lower, one person handles both duties. ...
