FAA Investigates Deadly Plane Crash Hours After Staff Firings

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a deadly U.S. air disaster just hours after “hundreds” of pink slips were reportedly handed out at the agency. Two people were found dead in woods near Covington Municipal Airport in Newtown County, Atlanta, Georgia after the single-engine Rockwell Commander light aircraft they were traveling in went down just before midnight Saturday. Authorities have not released the identity of the victims. The crash is being investigated by the FAA, and the National Transportation Safety Board, two agencies targeted by President Donald Trump’s probation staff layoffs. The incident comes just hours after “hundreds” of FAA probation staffers were told their contracts would be terminated, on Friday. David Spero, national president of The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, or PASS, said the move to let go of probation workers is a “dangerous” one. “Staffing decisions should be based on an individual agency’s mission-critical needs,” Spero told CNN. “To do otherwise is dangerous when it comes to public safety. And it is especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month.”