(The Center Square) – More information has emerged in the investigation into the mid-air collision over the Potomac River between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, as a lawmaker reveals the chopper had turned off a vital tracking system prior to the collision.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, addressed reporters following a closed-door briefing with federal authorities investigating the collision that killed 67 people.
Cruz said the chopper had turned off its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system.
The Federal Aviation Administration describes the system as “advanced surveillance technology that combines an aircraft’s positioning source, aircraft avionics, and ground infrastructure to create an accurate surveillance interface between aircraft” and air traffic control.
The technology is considered more “precise than radar.”
The senator questioned why the system was turned off prior to the collision, given the nature of the flight operations.
“This was a training mission so there was no compelling national security reason for the ADS-B to be turned off,” Cruz told reporters.
The latest development follows comments from National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy that based on preliminary information investigators believe the helicopter crew was wearing night vision goggles at the time of the collision, based on cockpit voice recordings.