NTSB Update Confirms Black Hawk Helicopter Made Crucial Error Before Plane Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board released an update on Tuesday informing the public that the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane in Washington, D.C., last week was flying too high at the time of the crash.

The agency found that the Black Hawk was positioned at 300 feet on the air traffic control display.

That is 100 feet higher than the ceiling of 200 feet for helicopters in the National Capital Region, according to a report from Fox News.

The report confirms earlier analysis of the crash, including from President Donald Trump, who wrote in a post on that the “helicopter was flying too high, by a lot. It was far above the 200 foot limit.”

But it leaves key questions unanswered, particularly the cause of the error: Malfunctioning equipment? A mistake by the pilot? Some other reason?

The NTSB also recovered various parts of the Bombardier CRJ700 operated by American Airlines from the Potomac River.

The parts include the “right wing, center fuselage, part of the left wing and left fuselage, significant portions of the forward cabin and cockpit, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, tail cone, rudder, elevators, TCAS computer and quick access recorder.”

NTSB officials added that “the recovered wreckage will be moved to a secure location for a wreckage layout examination.”

With respect to the Army Black Hawk, the NTSB still needs “additional information” to verify various data points.

“In order to obtain this information, the Black Hawk needs to be recovered from the water, which is expected to take place later this week,” the agency added.

NTSB staffers are meanwhile transcribing the cockpit voice recorders from both aircraft, while “synchronization work for the Black Hawk flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder is ongoing.​​”

The shocking Jan. 29 accident over the Potomac River resulted in 67 total deaths, including those of the three Army soldiers aboard the Black Hawk.

As of Tuesday, all 67 bodies were pulled from the Potomac, according to Fox.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy raised concerns during a Sunday interview with Fox News about the “antiquated” systems used by the Federal Aviation Administration and warned that there has been a “plummet” in air traffic control recruits.

But he said that the American commercial air travel system remains safe.

“We have the safest skies in the whole world. Traveling by air is the safest mode of transportation,” Duffy said.

“It’s not just air traffic controllers, but we do have technologies on airplanes to keep them separated,” he added. “So, yeah, no, this is the safest system.”

Duffy also criticized the diversity hiring that has occurred for air traffic controllers and said that the country should instead focus on hiring the most qualified candidates.

“You can’t focus on diversity, equity and inclusion when you try to hire air traffic controllers. You focus on the best and brightest,” Duffy added.

“I mean, again, some people like me like to have this conversation around equity. But if it’s your pilots or if it’s your air traffic controllers, you want the best. You want the brightest protecting yourself and your family. That’s what we’re going to do with the department.”

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