Investigators recover black boxes from deadly DC aircraft crash
A black box includes voice and flight data from the aircraft
A black box includes voice and flight data from the aircraft
A black box includes voice and flight data from the aircraft
Investigators have recovered the black boxes from both the Black Hawk helicopter and the commercial airline jet involved in the deadly midair collision near Washington, D.C.
"I can report to you now: We have recovered the Sikorsky black box," said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board.
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The black box includes voice and flight data from the U.S. Army helicopter.
"I know the controller who was working at the time has been interviewed, and as interviews are ongoing throughout the day," Inman added.
The NTSB says it is too early to speculate on a cause but expects to release a preliminary report within 30 days.
Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration has indefinitely shut down the airspace near Reagan National Airport to most helicopter traffic.
Federal authorities and experts have long worried about an increase in close calls at this airport, including just 24 hours before the deadly collision.
"Tower we had to RA, Brickyard 4514 is going around," a pilot reported to the control tower.
The plane, Brickyard 4514, landed safely after the pilot told the control tower its automated collision avoidance system alerted him to perform a last-minute "go around" maneuver to avoid a helicopter.
Search crews say they do not believe they will be able to recover the remaining victims from the Potomac River until they remove the fuselage from the water.
The NTSB said salvage equipment will arrive Saturday to start that effort.