Army Black Hawk in DC plane crash had turned off electronic location system: Cruz

The Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the fatal midair collision near Reagan National Airport last week had an advanced tracking system turned off at the time of the incident, according to Sen. Ted Cruz.

The Texas Republican told reporters Thursday that the Black Hawk helicopter's automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is permitted for military aircraft, was not active when it collided with an American Airlines passenger jet over the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C., area, killing 67.

"This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off," Cruz said after sitting in on a briefing by the National Transportation and Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA describes ADS-B as an "advanced surveillance technology that combines an aircraft’s positioning source, aircraft avionics, and a ground infrastructure to create an accurate surveillance interface between aircraft and Air Traffic Control." Although the Black Hawk had a transponder to appear on radar, ADS-B is significantly more accurate.

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"I will say the NTSB, they are serious professionals. Any time there is an aviation accident, especially one involving a loss of life, they engage in a serious and thorough investigation, as they should. And what happened with this accident was tragic and catastrophic," added Cruz, who is the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. 

"Sixty-seven souls lost their lives. We need to follow the evidence. We need to determine exactly what caused it," he added. "And then we need to learn lessons from the cause of that accident. Do everything possible to prevent a subsequent accident."

Last week, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., questioned the FAA about why it has allowed military flights to fly with the ADS-B deactivated since 2018.

During the briefing on Thursday, the FAA said it has started reviewing airports with high volumes of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic nearby after Cruz said he had sought a safety review on the matter.

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NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy also said Thursday that based on "preliminary information," it appears the crew members onboard the Black Hawk helicopter were wearing night-vision goggles before the fatal collision.

"We do believe, given the mission and given what we’ve heard or not heard on the CVR (cockpit voice recorder) that they were wearing night-vision goggles," Homendy said after briefing members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

She explained that if crew members were not wearing night-vision goggles, policy would require them to state they were flying unaided.

"That was not on the CVR (cockpit voice recorder)," Homendy said. "We did not find any indication of that on the CVR, which means they would not have had them on. But, again, it’s preliminary."

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Homendy told reporters more about the Black Hawk’s mission that night, which she called a "check ride."

She said there are three check rides the Army performs, one of which includes instruments like night-vision goggles, and an annual check to determine a pilot’s proficiency in flying.

This particular flight, she noted, was a combined night-vision goggles annual check ride.

In the aftermath of the crash, the FAA imposed significant restrictions on helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, until at least late February, with two of the lesser used runways closed.

When police, medical or presidential transportation helicopters must use the airspace, civilian planes are not permitted to be in the same area, an FAA advisory notes.

Fox News' Greg Norman and Reuters contributed to this report.