The collision between a commercial plane and a military helicopter in Washington DC that killed everyone on board both aircraft has raised serious questions about the disaster and the response to it. Officials are investigating the circumstances around the crash that resulted in the deaths of 67 people aboard the plane and helicopter on Wednesday evening (local time). President Donald Trump has since blamed the crash on diverse hires within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following its recruitment programme for people with intellectual disabilities, although it is not clear for what department within the organisation these would be for.

New Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military is investigating the cause of the crash and confirmed the crew was "fairly experienced" and that they "did have night vision goggles." The president previously questioned why the pilot of the military helicopter did not move out of the way of the incoming plane in a post shared on his social media platform TruthSocial. The names of passengers on board the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, have been released and include World Champion ice skaters. Names of crew members on board the military helicopter have also started to be named and include Ryan O'Hara, a dad-of-one.

Many unanswered questions remain about the crash and the moments leading up to it. To follow live coverage of the crash, click here. The cause of the crash remains under investigation but details have emerged of the helicopter crew's last moments following the release of audio of their conversation with air traffic controllers. In the conversation, it was clear air traffic control alerted the helicopter (known by its callsign PAT25) to the presence of the passenger jet (referred to as CRJ).

In the audio, an air traffic controller could be heard saying: "PAT25 do you have the CRJ in sight? PAT25 pass behind the CRJ." But just moments later a fireball lit up the sky with air traffic controllers audibly gasping in horror at the sight. "If you listen closely to the Air Traffic recording, the controllers advise the military helicopter of the American Airlines aircraft, and ask if the helicopter has the airliner in sight, to which the helicopter advises they do have the American Airlines jet in sight," M&N Aviation, Aviation aviation management consultant Sebastian Domaradzki told The Mirror. "At this point it is the responsibility of the helicopter to maintain visual separation with the airliner and to maintain traffic separation.

"The problem is, it is very difficult to maintain visual separation with a moving object at night, given the fact that this is a dense city area, lots of city lights, numerous other air traffic in the area, moving vehicles below, etc. One short glance away from the airliner could cause the pilots to lose sight/situational awareness, and a pilot may only have a split second to correct this, or risk the potential of a collision.".

Investigations into the crash are ongoing with details emerging at a steady pace, although no confirmed cause or causes have been agreed upon by those looking into the case. Black boxes from both aircraft have been located, meaning investigators will soon be able to build a more constructive timeline of events leading up to the crash. Black boxes contain flight data as well as the cockpit voice recorder will offer more detail about the circumstances on both aircraft in the moments leading up to the disaster. Both boxes have been transported to the National Transportation Safety Board for evaluation.

It is likely that when the information contained inside the boxes is known that investigators will be able to piece together a more firm understanding of what happened. Despite the cause not being fully known, outspoken President Trump has shared his thoughts on the disaster. The investigation into the disaster is expected to cover every moment leading up to the crash to determine how it could have been avoided. Democrat Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth said she has requested information about the flight patterns of both aircraft.

Senator Duckworth, a veteran experienced at flying a Black Hawk helicopter, yesterday said: "Now is not the time for speculation. We need to get the facts." Investigators are expected to examine black boxes, study flight movements as well as check on FAA staff levels at the tower to determine whether there are numerous underlying causes rather than a single one. President Trump wasted no time attributing blame for the disaster on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies at the FAA. In his rant on Thursday, the Republican claimed Democrats were responsible for declining standards at the administration.