A key safety system was disabled on the US Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines passenger plane last week near the US capital Washington, killing 76 people, said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
According to Cruz, the helicopter had its automatic dependent surveillance-emission system turned off, which is permissible for military aircraft.
“This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for the system to be turned off“, Cruz said during a press conference of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In the deadliest air crash in the US in more than 20 years, which occurred last week, the plane and the helicopter collided and fell into the Potomac River. The helicopter flew about 100 feet above the maximum allowed for that route, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said earlier.
The Dependent Surveillance-Emission System is an advanced technology for tracking the location of aircraft. Cruz noted that the helicopter also had a transponder, so it would have appeared on radar, but the system in question is significantly more precise.
The FAA said it had begun inspecting airports with a high volume of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic after Cruz said he requested a safety review.
Following the crash, the FAA imposed significant restrictions on helicopter flights around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport until at least the end of February, and two of the less frequently used runways remain closed. When police, medical or presidential transport helicopters must use the airspace, civilian aircraft are not allowed in the same area, according to FAA guidelines.
NSBT Chairwoman Jennifer Homendi told reporters that the cockpit voice recorder indicated the helicopter pilot was wearing night vision goggles. She also said the helicopter was recovered from the Potomac River and it will likely be several days before the agency can confirm that the helicopter's dependent surveillance-transmission system was disabled at the time of the crash.