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Washington plane crash: Chilling new audio as Trump unleashes on ‘diversity hires’
Air traffic control audio has emerged following a midair crash between a passenger jet and military helicopter in Washington, as a black box recorder was recovered and Donald Trump blamed ‘diversity hires’. Listen to the audio.
Chilling audio from air traffic control captured the moment the flight safety agency reported the midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
What we know:
– There were no survivors, said US President Donald Trump and US officials
– More than 40 bodies have been recovered from the plane, CNN reports citing multiple sources, and three from the helicopter
– The Skating Club of Boston confirmed several of its members were on the AA flight
– One of the flight data recorders, known as black boxes, has reportedly been recovered from the American Airlines plane
– Inflatable boats, dive teams and helicopters searched in below freezing temperatures but dive ops are done for the day due to difficult to see conditions
– One controller, rather than the usual two, was handling both plane and helicopter traffic at the time of the crash, according to a New York Times report
In a recording of air tower communications, captured by LiveATC.net, an aircraft can be heard calling the tower just seconds after the passenger plane and crew got in touch, The New York Post reports.
“Tower, did you see that?” one air traffic controller asked, referring to the collision.
Another air traffic controller then redirected all aircraft heading to Runway 33 to go around.
“Crash, crash, crash, this is an alert three,” one of the air traffic controllers can be heard saying in the audio.
“I don’t know if you caught earlier what happened, but there was a collision on the approach into 33,” another air traffic controller was heard saying.
“We’re going to be shutting down operations for the indefinite future.”
“Both the helicopter and the plane crashed in the river,” a third air traffic controller said.
“It was probably out in the middle of the river. I just saw a fireball and then it was just gone. I haven’t seen anything since they hit the river. But it was a CRJ and a helicopter that hit.”
It comes as US President Donald Trump launched an extraordinary political attack blaming diversity hires for the midair collision between an airliner and a military helicopter.
“I put safety first. Obama, Biden and the Democrats put policy first,” Mr Trump said at a press conference.
“They actually came out with a directive: ‘too white.’ And we want the people that are competent.”
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Originally published as Washington plane crash: Chilling new audio as Trump unleashes on ‘diversity hires’