NTSB/FAA Updates: Analyzing the January Aircraft Collision over the Potomac River
NTSB: US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the American Eagle CRJ700 over the ADS-B system turned off.
UNITED STATES - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have released multiple reports on the findings of the January 29th mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
According to a briefing by the NTSB, the US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the American Eagle CRJ700 over the Potomac River had its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system turned off at the time of the collision.
The ADS-B system, when activated, broadcasts the aircraft's altitude, position, and speed. The absence of this broadcast likely prevented the CRJ700's Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) from detecting the helicopter, contributing to the mid-air collision as it approached the Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., killing 67 people.
