The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) chair said Thursday that, based on “preliminary information,” it appears crew members of a Black Hawk helicopter were wearing night-vision goggles before a fatal collision with an American Airlines jet last week near Washington, D.C.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy spoke with reporters on Capitol Hill after briefing members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the crash that killed all 67 people on board the two aircraft.
Homendy was asked if the pilots of the Black Hawk were wearing night-vision goggles.
“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, noting she based her answer on “preliminary information.”
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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.”
Homendy told reporters more about the Black Hawk’s mission that night, which she called a “check ride.”
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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 goggle annual check ride.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told reporters Thursday the Black Hawk helicopter had turned off its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is permitted for military aircraft.
“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 an NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) briefing.
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ADS-B is an advanced surveillance technology used to track the location of aircraft. Although the Black Hawk had a transponder to appear on radar, ADS-B is significantly more accurate.
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 begun reviewing airports with high volumes of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic nearby after Cruz said he had sought a safety review on the matter.
Still, 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.
Reuters contributed to this report.
