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DC plane crash: ATC staffing levels under scrutiny as barges arrive to help salvage ops

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DC plane crash: ATC staffing levels under scrutiny as barges arrive to help salvage ops

Barges are expected to arrive in the D.C. area on Saturday to help with salvage operations from Wednesday’s deadly plane crash at Regan National Airport (DCA) as questions remain as to how an Army Black Hawk helicopter could have collided with an American Airlines plane midair, killing 67 people. 

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman said Friday the barges will help with salvage operations to ensure the remaining victims are recovered. He said their remains would immediately be turned over to them and the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office for identification and then returned to their families. 

At least 40 bodies had been pulled from the Potomac River on Friday. Both black boxes have been recovered. 

NTSB investigators examine the so-called black box recovered from the American Airlines plane that crashed with a U.S. Army Black hawk helicopter near Washington, D.C, Thursday, Jan.30, 2024.  (NTSB)

DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATORS RECOVER AMERICAN AIRLINES BLACK BOXES AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

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A new report by the New York Post suggests that the Black Hawk was flying nearly twice as high as it should have been and that the helicopter was not equipped with a new technology that would have alerted air traffic control to its dangerously deviated path. Meanwhile, a preliminary report indicated that staffing levels at the time of the collision were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”

The Black Hawk chopper was flying more than 300 feet above the Potomac River at the time of the deadly smash, even though aviation guidelines require helicopters on that route to stay below 200 feet, the outlet reports. 

The news would corroborate President Donald Trump’s view that the military aircraft was traveling too high. 

“The Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200-foot limit,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday. “That’s not really too complicated to understand, is it???”

Trump on Thursday signed an executive order calling for an immediate assessment of aviation safety.

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A graphic of the two flight paths.  (Fox News)

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which oversees the aviation industry, said he’s been briefed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and detailed the sequence of events that resulted in Wednesday’s deadly midair collision.

“Flight 5342 was initially scheduled to land on Runway 1 at Reagan but was redirected to Runway 33,” he wrote on X. “Meanwhile, the helicopter was traveling along Route 1 before being shifted to Route 4.”

“We know that air traffic control confirmed with the helicopter crew that they had visual contact with the plane. Controllers then instructed the helicopter to move behind the plane,” he added. “However, instead of complying, the helicopter moved in front of the aircraft. The two aircraft collided mid-air, resulting in a catastrophic explosion.”

In an episode of “The Verdict” podcast, Cruz said the collision may have been avoided if the Army had outfitted the Black Hawk with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast device, a relatively new technology that allows air traffic control operators to see an aircraft’s altitude.

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“The Black Hawk helicopter had a transponder, so it was appearing on radar. It did not have technology called ADS-B, which is technology that pings the location of an aircraft, and it does so using GPS rather than radar,” he said. “ADS-B is more accurate and more reliable than simply a transponder that is pinging on radar.” 

A general view of the control tower at Reagan National Airport, Friday, January 31, 2025. Flights have resumed since the tragic crash on Wednesday night where an American Airlines jet collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER LEFT EARLY FROM WORK BEFORE CRASH: REPORT

Meanwhile, a preliminary  FAA report indicated that a single air traffic controller was monitoring both airplanes and helicopters at the time of the devastating crash.

Staffing levels at the time of the collision were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic,” the New York Times reports, citing the report. Additionally, a tower supervisor allegedly let another air traffic controller leave work early Wednesday night. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) calls for one controller to monitor planes, while another monitors helicopters.

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The Times report said the tower at the airport was nearly a third below targeted staff levels, with 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023, citing the most recent Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, an annual report to Congress that contains target and actual staffing levels.

The targets set by the FAA and the controllers union call for 30.

Five current and former controllers told the outlet that the controller in the tower should have more proactively directed the helicopter and the plane to fly away from each other. Instead, the controller asked the helicopter to steer clear of the plane.

Another New York Times report suggests that more than 90% of the country’s 313 air traffic control facilities operate below the staffing levels recommended by the FAA.

Photos of some of the victims following the collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter (Getty Images)

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The New York Times reported that as of January, 285 facilities were below levels set by the FAA and the union that represents controllers. In at least 73 facilities, at least a quarter of the workforce is missing.

The Army has named the other soldiers killed in the collision. They were identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland, and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia.

The family of the third solider killed in Wednesday’s deadly midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is requesting their identity not be publicly released, the Army said Friday.

The doomed American Airlines plane was carrying more than a dozen people returning from a training camp following the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, where the flight originated. Those victims included Spencer Lane and Jinna Han, both 16, who were promising skaters at The Skating Club of Boston in Norwood, Massachusetts, as well as Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov who together won a 1994 world championship in pairs figure skating.

The American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided in midair with a military helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport. According to reports there were no survivors amongst the 67 people on board both aircraft.   (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration will restrict helicopter traffic around DCA, effective Friday.

The decision was made with the support of Trump and in consultation with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to a post on X from Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy.

“Today’s decision will immediately help secure the airspace near Reagan Airport, ensuring the safety of airplane and helicopter traffic,” Duffy wrote.

The restricted area includes Memorial Bridge to South Capitol Street Bridge, excluding the Tidal Basin, Haines Point to Wilson Bridge and over the top of DCA.

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Rep Maxwell Frost allegedly assaulted at Sundance Film Festival in racially charged incident

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Rep Maxwell Frost allegedly assaulted at Sundance Film Festival in racially charged incident

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A member of Congress was allegedly assaulted Friday evening while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., wrote on X on Saturday: “Last night, I was assaulted by a man at Sundance Festival who told me that Trump was going to deport me before he punched me in the face.”

Frost added that the suspect “was heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off.”

Frost said the man had been arrested and that he wasn’t hurt in the incident.

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LAWMAKER TARGETED WITH DEATH THREAT AFTER CONDEMNING RACIST SIGN AIMED AT WINSOME SEARS

Rep. Maxwell Frost, D, Fla., said he was assaulted Friday evening while attending the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. ( Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn Civic Action)

“Thank you to the venue security and Park City PD for assistance on this incident,” he added.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded to the news on X: writing, “I am horrified by the attack on Congressman Maxwell Frost. Grateful that he is okay, but appalled that this terrifying assault took place. The perpetrator must be aggressively prosecuted.”

MEMBER OF CONGRESS SAYS SHE WAS ASSAULTED BY GANG OF YOUTH BEFORE TRUMP DC TAKEOVER 

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Jeffries continued: “Hate and political violence has no place in our country, and the entire House Democratic Caucus family stands with Maxwell.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost attending a Sundance Film Festival event on Friday.  (Robin Marchant/Getty Images for The Creative Coalition)

The alleged assault took place at a party hosted by the CAA talent party at the High West Saloon, which the suspect crashed, according to Variety.

The suspect was allegedly bragging in the bathroom about being “White” before punching Frost in the face, the outlet reported.

He has yet to be identified.

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The Sundance Film Festival is held in Park City, Utah, every January.  (David Becker/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Park City Police Department for comment.

The 29-year-old congressman was first elected to serve in Florida’s 10th district in 2022.

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College soccer star, girlfriend dead as illegal immigrant’s record ignites lawmaker fury statewide

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College soccer star, girlfriend dead as illegal immigrant’s record ignites lawmaker fury statewide

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Lawmakers are voicing outrage as family and friends mourn a college soccer player and his girlfriend who were killed in a DUI crash allegedly caused by an illegal immigrant.

The case is reigniting debate over immigration enforcement and whether failures in the system contributed to the deaths of Fletcher Harris, 20, and Skylar Provenza, 19.

Prosecutors say Juan Alvarado Aguilar, 37, was driving under the influence when his vehicle slammed into the couple’s car on Friday, Jan. 16, killing them both and devastating their families and community. As mourners gather to say goodbye to Provenza and Harris, whose funeral was held Thursday, lawmakers are pointing to Aguilar’s immigration status and alleged criminal history as evidence of broader public safety failures they say demand immediate action.

North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Harris said the case highlights what he described as the deadly consequences of sanctuary policies and failures to enforce immigration laws. Harris argued the couple’s deaths were preventable and blamed state and local leadership for allowing the suspect to remain in the country and on the road.

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ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT RAN FROM DEADLY WRONG-WAY DUI CRASH THAT KILLED MOTORCYCLIST, RECORDS SHOW

A funeral service for Fletcher Mark Daniel Harris was held at Williamson Chapel in Mooresville, North Carolina, on Thursday, January 22, 2026. Harris, 20, was killed in a car crash on Jan. 16, 2026. (Tim Jackson for Fox News Digital)

“Fletcher Harris and Skylar Provenza—two bright young lives full of promise—were brutally taken in a head-on crash allegedly caused by an illegal alien with a prior DUI who never should have been on our roads,” Harris said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This is the deadly cost of North Carolina’s sanctuary policies and radical Democrat refusal to enforce the law.”

Harris also questioned the lack of public response, suggesting the reaction would be far different in other cases.

“Where’s the outrage? Where are the protests? If this were any other tragedy, the streets would be filled—but when criminal aliens kill Americans, the silence from the Left is deafening.”

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CORNYN PUSHES ‘ZERO MERCY’ LAW TO DEPORT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF DEADLY DRUNK DRIVING

A funeral service for Fletcher Mark Daniel Harris was held at Williamson Chapel in Mooresville, North Carolina, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Tim Jackson for Fox News Digital)

Authorities say the deadly crash occurred just after 11 p.m. on Jan. 16 in Rowan County, North Carolina, when a Chevrolet Silverado driven by Aguilar crossed the center line and slammed head-on into the car carrying Harris and Provenza. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators said officers noted a strong odor of alcohol and that Aguilar appeared unsteady on his feet when he was arrested.

Court records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Aguilar had a prior driving-while-impaired charge from 2020 that was dismissed by a district attorney, a procedural move that has drawn renewed scrutiny following the deadly crash. Prosecutors also told the court that Aguilar had two prior failures to appear, and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer has been placed on him.

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GRIEVING FATHER SAYS DAUGHTER’S DEATH BY ILLEGAL ALIEN SHOWS COST OF SANCTUARY POLICIES

Juan Alvarado Aguilar is shown in a booking photo released by authorities. Police said Aguilar, 37, was identified as the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado involved in a DUI crash that killed two people. (Rowan County Sheriff’s Office)

Aguilar now faces two counts of felony death by vehicle, driving while impaired and other charges, and is being held on a bond of more than $5 million.

North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall said the deaths hit close to home and blamed what he described as failures in federal immigration enforcement. 

“I think it’s a failure of policy, and it’s a failure under the Biden administration, where essentially he allowed open borders,” Hall said. He argued that Democrats have taken the position that “no one should be deported, even those who are committing serious crimes,” adding that the suspect had previously been charged with DWI before the fatal crash.

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ILLINOIS FATHER SAYS PRITZKER SHOWS ‘INDIFFERENCE’ TO HIS DAUGHTER BEING KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

Hall pushed back against claims that North Carolina is a sanctuary state, pointing to legislative action taken in recent years to require cooperation with federal immigration authorities. He said that prior to 2018, all sheriffs in the state worked with ICE, but that changed after several Democratic sheriffs stopped honoring ICE detainers.

Republican lawmakers responded by passing legislation mandating cooperation with ICE, bills that were initially vetoed by then-Gov. Roy Cooper before lawmakers overrode the vetoes.

“So in this state right now, when somebody is charged with a crime, and they’re here illegally and ICE wants to take custody of that person, the local county sheriff has to do that,” Hall said.

MOTHER OF OFFICER KILLED BY ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRITICIZES MINNESOTA LEADERS’ ‘WARPED VIEW’ OF POLICE

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Fletcher Harris and Skylar Provenza are shown in a photo taken before their deaths. The two were killed in a DUI crash, according to authorities. (Instagram/ skylar_provenza)

Hall argued that enforcement later broke down at the federal level, despite state laws remaining in place, saying ICE under the Biden administration often failed to take custody of illegal immigrants charged with crimes.

He said stronger coordination between state and federal authorities is critical to preventing similar tragedies, crediting renewed enforcement efforts under the Trump administration and emphasizing the need for continued cooperation.

Reflecting on the victims, Hall said lawmakers are focused on preventing future losses.

“Know that we’re fighting very hard to make sure this never happens to anyone again,” he said.

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Harris was a standout student-athlete at Catawba College, where he played soccer and made the dean’s list. Provenza had just graduated in Esthetics from Dermacademy and was set to start her career at Datre Hair Co., according to her obituary.

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In a Facebook post, Provenza’s mother urged the public to reject hatred and honor the couple’s lives with love.

“Remember them. Remember love. Remember justice, and the Lord’s plan will prevail,” she wrote. “Hate will never bring them back. While my heart is broken, I pray for this world that we live in. Evil never wins, but love always will.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the North Carolina Democratic Party for comment. 

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Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

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Florida attorney general demands nursing board revoke license of nurse who wished injury on Karoline Leavitt

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Florida attorney general demands nursing board revoke license of nurse who wished injury on Karoline Leavitt

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Florida attorney general James Uthmeier is calling for the Florida Board of Nursing to revoke the license of a woman after she said she hoped White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suffers a severe injury in childbirth. 

“Women shouldn’t have to worry about a politically driven nurse who wishes them pain and suffering being in the delivery room during childbirth,” Uthmeier told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

“It’s evil,” he added. “The Florida Board of Nursing must take action to keep this person away from patients permanently.”

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER RESIGNS AFTER GOING VIRAL ON LIBS OF TIKTOK FOR VILE COMMENT MADE TO TRUMP SUPPORTER

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is expecting her second child this year. (Andrew Harnik)

In a video posted on TikTok, Lexie Lawler, a former labor and delivery nurse at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital, said, “As a labor and delivery nurse, it gives me great joy to wish Karoline Leavitt a fourth degree tear.”

She continued with explicit language, saying she hoped Leavitt would suffer a permanent injury during childbirth.

“I hope you f——- rip from bow to stern and never s— normally again, you c—,” she said.

In December, Leavitt announced that she and her husband Nick are expecting a baby girl due in May, who will join their first son, Niko, born in July 2024.

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Lawler was subsequently fired from Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

The hospital told Fox News Digital that her comments “do not reflect our values or the standards we expect of healthcare professionals,” but Lawler has since defended her remarks in another video, and appeared to reference an unrelated shooting in Minnesota while responding to criticism over her comments.

WHITE HOUSE BABY BOOM IN FULL BLOOM AS USHA VANCE, TOP TRUMP AIDES ANNOUNCE PREGNANCIES

“Women shouldn’t have to worry about a politically-driven nurse who wishes them pain and suffering being in the delivery room during childbirth,” Uthmeier told Fox News Digital in a statement.  (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

“So they just murdered a man in Minnesota, they murdered a man in Minnesota, and you mother——- are coming after me because I used bad language? F— you. I’m on the right side of this. F— you.”

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A “GoFundMe” has been set up for Lawler which has raised nearly $5,000 with a goal of $14,000. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Florida Board of Nursing and Lawler for comment. 

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A GoFundMe has been set up for Lawler which has raised over $4,000 with a goal of $14,000.  (Photo illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

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