Black Boxes Recovered from American Airlines Crash Near Washington, D.C.


Black Boxes Recovered from American Airlines Crash Near Washington, D.C.

TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Investigators have recovered the black boxes from the American Airlines jet that collided with a US Army helicopter near Washington, DC, killing all 67 people on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Friday it had located the flight data and cockpit voice recorders from the Bombardier CRJ700 jet, which struck a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The discovery comes amid political controversy, as former US President Donald Trump suggested that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) could have contributed to the crash.

“These are not people who should be doing this particular job,” Trump said at a news conference, without specifying whom he was referring to. “We want brilliant people doing this. This is a major chess game at the highest level.”

When a reporter asked how he could link the crash to DEI policies before the investigation was complete, Trump responded that he had “common sense.”

His remarks drew sharp criticism from Democrats and advocacy groups, including the National Disability Rights Network, which called the statement “irresponsible, disparaging, and wrong.”

Pete Buttigieg, who served as transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, condemned the comments.

“As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying,” Buttigieg wrote on X. “We put safety first, drove down close calls, grew Air Traffic Control, and had zero commercial airline crash fatalities out of millions of flights on our watch.”

Prior to the collision, air traffic controllers had asked the crew of American Airlines Flight 5342 if they could land on Runway 33. Flight tracking data showed that the pilots adjusted their approach accordingly.

Less than 30 seconds before impact, a controller asked the helicopter crew if they had visual contact with the approaching jet.

The crash marks the deadliest incident involving a US commercial airline since 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people.

Authorities have so far recovered about 40 bodies from the Potomac River. Among the victims were two former world champion figure skaters, two Chinese nationals, a group of friends on a duck-hunting trip, and the crews of both aircraft.

Reagan National Airport, located in Arlington, Virginia, is less than 8 km (5 miles) from Washington, DC, and is preferred by many travelers over the larger Dulles International Airport, which lies 37 km (23 miles) away.

The NTSB has vowed to conduct a thorough investigation, stating it will “leave no stone unturned” in determining the cause of the crash.

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