Key Safety System Was Off Before Fatal Air Collision? [WATCH]

A shocking revelation has emerged regarding last week’s deadly midair collision near Washington’s Reagan National Airport.

According to Senator Ted Cruz, the U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash had a key safety system intentionally turned off—a decision with no apparent national security justification, as reported by The New York Times.

The automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) system, a crucial technology for tracking aircraft, was disabled on the military helicopter before it collided with an American Airlines regional jet.

Dennis Quaid’s #1 Warning for Americans

The crash resulted in the tragic deaths of 67 people, marking the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in over two decades.

Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, called out the decision to disable ADS-B, stating,

“This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off.”

While military aircraft are permitted to deactivate ADS-B, questions are now swirling about why such a move was necessary in this instance.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that the Black Hawk was flying approximately 100 feet above the maximum altitude permitted for that flight path.

Though the helicopter’s transponder was active—meaning it would still appear on radar—ADS-B provides far greater accuracy, giving air traffic controllers and other aircraft a more precise real-time location.

The crash has sparked renewed scrutiny over FAA policies regarding military flights operating without ADS-B. Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Commerce Committee, has questioned why the FAA has allowed this practice since 2018.

In response, the agency has launched a review of airports where military helicopters and civilian aircraft share congested airspace.

As an immediate precaution, the FAA has imposed strict restrictions on helicopter flights near Reagan National. Two of the airport’s lesser-used runways remain closed, and helicopter flights are heavily restricted until at least late February.

Under the new rules, when police, medical, or presidential helicopters are in the area, civilian aircraft must clear the airspace entirely.

Further details from the cockpit voice recorder indicate that the helicopter pilot may have been wearing night vision goggles at the time of the crash.

While investigators have recovered the wreckage from the Potomac River, it will take several days to confirm whether the ADS-B system was indeed off during the accident.

Recovery crews are set to use a massive crane Monday morning to lift wreckage from the Potomac River, days after a tragic midair collision between a plane and a helicopter left dozens dead.https://t.co/vzRfEwJd7R pic.twitter.com/QLaG7Ayyxd

— News 12 (@wcti12) February 3, 2025

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has also raised concerns about certain military training protocols.

“We’re going to hopefully find this out, but if they had night vision goggles on a mission like that at nine o’clock at night and not at 1 a.m.—it is unacceptable,” Duffy said on Wednesday.

Image Credit: © Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the investigation continues, the tragic collision is reigniting debate over aviation safety policies, particularly regarding the interaction between military and civilian air traffic. With lives at stake, lawmakers are demanding answers on whether this crash could have been prevented.