Army helicopter tracking turned off at time of Washington crash, NYT says
Tweet
Share
E-mail
A crane retrieves part of the wreckage from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virgini
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Army helicopter that collided with a passenger jet last week in Washington had its tracking technology turned off at the time of the crash, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz told the New York Times.
The technology allows air traffic controllers to better track the movement of an aircraft.
Republican Senator Cruz is a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which received a closed-door briefing on the crash with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Cruz expressed concern that tracking technology for the Black Hawk was turned off during the training mission, the New York Times reported on Thursday night.
When in use, the technology, called Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, broadcasts an aircraft's position, altitude and speed, said the New York Times.
It allows air traffic controllers to not rely solely on radar tracking, which can have a delay of a few seconds and hence gives an extra safety layer, according to the newspaper.
The deadly collision over the Potomac River in Washington between the helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67 people last week. It was the deadliest U.S. air disaster in more than 20 years.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Michael Perry)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- Uber and AI-firm Wayve launch London's first robotaxis
- Pet food platform Golden Pet Brands taps banks for IPO, sources say
- Mexican musician, family members slain in gruesome shooting at upscale penthouse
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
ReutersSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!
