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The black hawk helicopter involved in the deadly collision with an American Airlines regional jet near Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., reportedly had its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), a crucial safety system, turned off at the time of the accident, Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz told reporters after a closed door briefing by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday (February 6).
"Unless there was a compelling national security reason for turning it off, that does not seem justified and in this instance, this was a training mission so there was no national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off," Cruz said via CBS News.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who previously served as an Army helicopter pilot, also raised questions regarding the aircraft's safety system.
"What we don't know ... whether or not the helicopter actually had their ADSP-out turned on. It sounds like it might not have been turned on, but the Army was very clear that the equipment was actually is installed in the aircraft," Duckworth said via CBS News.
The helicopter was confirmed to be flying too high at the time of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board confirmed on Tuesday (February 4) via the New York Post. Data from air traffic control radar showed that the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 300 feet when it collided with the airliner above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29, far exceeding the maximum altitude of 200 feet designated for helicopters in the area.
The radar data was reportedly rounded to the nearest 100 feet, meaning the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter could have been traveling at an elevation ranging between 251 and 349 feet. American Airlines Flight 5342 was reported to be flying at an altitude of 325 feet at the time of the crash.
Captain Jonathan Campos, 34, and First Officer Samuel Lilley, 28, attempted to pull the plane's nose up seconds before crashing into the military chopper, according to National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman via the Daily Mail. All 67 victims killed in the crash have been accounted for by authorities, which includes 64 passengers aboard American Airlines Flight 5324 and three soldiers on the Army helicopter.