The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has disclosed several key findings from its investigation into the DCA plane crash that killed 67 people late last month.
The incident is still under investigation following a military Black Hawk helicopter colliding with an American Airlines commercial flight before both aircraft went down into the Potomac River.
Per WKYC.com, the probe revealed that the three soldiers in the chopper were likely wearing night vision goggles that, if removed, would have required them to discuss operating without them. There was no evidence pointing to such a discussion taking place.
The NTSB said investigators are still trying to determine why the pilot’s and instructor’s altitude readings were different and that faulty altimeter readings may have led to the Black Hawk flying much higher than it should have.
“CVR data from the Black Hawk indicated that the portion of the transmission that stated ‘pass behind the’ may not have been received by the Black Hawk crew,” NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said. “Transmission was stepped on by a .8 second mic key from the Black Hawk. The Black Hawk was keying the mic to communicate with ATC.”
