A key security system was turned off on the US Military helicopter that collided with an American Airways regional jet final week close to Washington’s Reagan Airport, killing 67.
Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz informed reporters the Black Hawk helicopter had turned off its automated dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is permitted for army plane.
“This was a coaching mission, so there was no compelling nationwide safety purpose for ADS-B to be turned off,” Cruz stated after a briefing from the Nationwide Transportation Security Board and Federal Aviation Administration.
Within the deadliest US air catastrophe in additional than 20 years, the plane collided final week, with each plane plunging into the Potomac River.
The helicopter was flying about 100 toes over the utmost allowed for that route, the NTSB stated earlier.
ADS-B is a sophisticated surveillance expertise to trace plane places.
Cruz famous the helicopter had a transponder so it could seem on radar however ADS-B is considerably extra correct.
Final week, Senator Maria Cantwell, the highest Democrat on the committee, questioned why the FAA since 2018 has allowed army flights to fly with their put in ADS-B gear off.
The FAA additionally stated on Thursday it has begun reviewing airports with excessive volumes of combined helicopter and airplane visitors close by after Cruz stated he had sought a security assessment.
Within the aftermath of the crash, the FAA has imposed vital restrictions on helicopter flights round Reagan Nationwide till a minimum of late February and two of the lesser-used runways stay closed.
When police, medical or presidential transportation helicopters should use the airspace, civilian planes usually are not allowed to be in the identical space, based on an FAA advisory.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy informed reporters it seems based mostly on the cockpit voice recorder that the helicopter pilot was carrying evening imaginative and prescient goggles.
She additionally stated the helicopter had been recovered from the Potomac River and it could probably be a number of days earlier than the NTSB can verify that the helicopter’s ADS-B was off in the course of the crash.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy additionally questioned some army coaching and different missions.
“We’re going to hopefully discover this out, but when they’d evening imaginative and prescient goggles on a mission like that at 9 o’clock at evening and never at 1 a.m. – it’s unacceptable,” Duffy stated on Wednesday.
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