The NTSB recovered all major aircraft wreckage from the collision that occurred last week near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Divers are continuing to search the Potomac River for additional debris. The investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the crash.
All major pieces of the American Airlines plane and Black Hawk helicopter that collided last week in Washington, DC, have been recovered, the National Transportation Safety Board announced Saturday. The wreckage from the two aircraft, which crashed January 29 over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, has been taken to a secure airport facility for further examination, according to the NTSB .
'Investigators will be looking for witness marks on the aircraft that could provide clues to the angle of collision,' the agency said in a news release Saturday evening. Investigators were searching for wreckage from last week's deadly midair collision and conducted an overnight scan of the Potomac River where the aircraft fell using advanced imaging technology to map the riverbed and locate debris. The scan was performed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday by using an aircraft to deploy green laser pulses to map the riverbed and locate debris from the collision. The technology, called TopoBathy lidar, is designed to produce detailed underwater imagery and guide recovery teams. The survey 'identified multiple underwater targets that could be additional aircraft debris,' the NTSB said in the release Saturday. 'Divers investigated those targets today and will continue that work this week.' The scan was initially scheduled to take place overnight on Friday but was delayed until Saturday, weather permitting, the NTSB said. Information from Saturday's scan will be part of the NTSB's ongoing investigation, the agency told CNN.The NTSB, along with the Naval Sea Systems Command Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, lifted much of the Black Hawk and other large portions of wreckage from the river Thursday. Investigators have begun examining the material and flight data from both aircraft to reconstruct the events leading to the crash.Lawmakers were briefed Thursday by investigators examining the collision, but no significant new findings were disclosed, they said. After the briefing, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said investigators were still determining whether the Black Hawk's ADS-B system - an advanced surveillance technology that provides real-time tracking data - was installed and operational at the time of the crash. 'We believe there are avionics on that helicopter that we need to evaluate in order to determine what they did have and what was on at the time. More to come,' Homendy told reporters. The ADS-B system transmits critical information, including an aircraft's location, altitude, positioning and speed to other aircraft and air traffic controllers. Whether this system had a role in last week's collision has become a focal point for lawmakers. 'This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off,' said Sen. Ted Cruz, the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has oversight of commercial airspace. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a former Black Hawk pilot in the Army, noted, 'It's not clear whether the technology was turned on, but the Army confirmed it was installed in the aircraft.' The Black Hawk, stationed at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, was conducting an annual proficiency training exercise in 'government continuity' at the time of the collision, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He noted the pilots were highly experienced and wearing night vision goggles during the flight.While recovery teams continue their search, the Federal Aviation Administration has reduced air traffic at the airport, partly because of the recovery efforts but also due to weather conditions, an FAA spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. The airport's hourly arrival rate decreased from 28 to 26 flights, causing average delays to rise from 40 to 50 minutes, according to a source familiar with the situation. Several senators, including Cruz, called for a review of airports nationwide that handle significant helicopter traffic in close proximity to commercial jets, something the FAA announced Thursday it will carry out
NTSB American Airlines Black Hawk Helicopter Potomac River Collision Investigation ADS-B Aviation Safety Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic
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