Black Hawk crew likely wearing night-vision goggles before deadly DC midair crash: NTSB

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) seat said Thursday that, based connected "preliminary information," it appears unit members of a Black Hawk chopper were wearing night-vision goggles earlier a fatal collision with an American Airlines pitchy past week adjacent Washington, D.C.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy spoke with reporters connected Capitol Hill aft briefing members of the House Committee connected Transportation and Infrastructure connected the clang that killed each 67 people connected committee the 2 aircraft.

Homendy was asked if the pilots of the Black Hawk were wearing night-vision goggles.

"We bash believe, fixed the ngo and fixed what we’ve heard oregon not heard connected the CVR (cockpit dependable recorder) that they were wearing night-vision goggles," Homendy said, noting she based her reply connected "preliminary information."

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Crews retrieve wreckage of American Airlines Flight 5342 successful the Potomac River, adjacent Washington, D.C. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)

She explained that if unit members were not wearing night-vision goggles, argumentation would necessitate them to authorities they were flying unaided.

"That was not connected the CVR (cockpit dependable recorder)," Homendy said. "We did not find immoderate denotation of that connected the CVR, which means they would not person had them on. But, again, it’s preliminary."

Homendy told reporters much astir the Black Hawk’s ngo that night, which she called a "check ride."

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An Army Black Hawk helicopter, circled left, collided successful midair with an American Airlines pitchy adjacent Reagan Washington National Airport. (EarthCam)

She said determination are 3 cheque rides the Army performs, 1 of which includes instruments similar night-vision goggles, and an yearly cheque to find a pilot’s proficiency successful flying.

This peculiar flight, she noted, was a combined night-vision goggle yearly cheque ride.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told reporters Thursday the Black Hawk chopper had turned disconnected its automatic babelike surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is permitted for subject aircraft.

"This was a grooming mission, truthful determination was nary compelling nationalist information crushed for ADS-B to beryllium turned off," Cruz said aft sitting successful connected an NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefing.

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Investigators analyse wreckage from a Black Hawk chopper successful the Potomac River aft a fatal clang with an American Airlines plane. (NTSB)

ADS-B is an precocious surveillance exertion utilized to way the determination of aircraft. Although the Black Hawk had a transponder to look connected radar, ADS-B is importantly much accurate.

Last week, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., questioned the FAA astir wherefore it has allowed subject flights to alert with the ADS-B deactivated since 2018.

During the briefing connected Thursday, the FAA said it has begun reviewing airports with precocious volumes of mixed chopper and airplane postulation adjacent aft Cruz said helium had sought a information reappraisal connected the matter.

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Still, successful the aftermath of the crash, the FAA imposed important restrictions connected chopper flights adjacent Reagan National Airport successful Arlington, Virginia, until astatine slightest precocious February, with 2 of the lesser utilized runways closed.

When police, aesculapian oregon statesmanlike proscription helicopters indispensable usage the airspace, civilian planes are not permitted to beryllium successful the aforesaid area, an FAA advisory notes.

Reuters contributed to this report.