The crew from the Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane may have had inaccurate altitude readings in the moments before the crash, the investigators have stated.
The soldiers may also not have heard some very key instructions from the air traffic controllers to move behind the plane as it was shared.
The NTSB chair mentioned how the recording from the Black Hawk suggested an incomplete radio transmission that may have left the team without any understanding of how it should be positioning the helicopter before the crash which killed 67 people.
The entire transmission was said to be interrupted and stepped on and that’s why they were unable to hear the terms pass behind because the helicopter’s microphone key was pressed at the same time.
17 seconds before the impact took place, a radio transmission from the tower was audible on both CVRs directing the Black Hawk to pass behind the CRJ, the chair detailed to the press during a briefing that took place yesterday.
Investigators suggested how the helicopter was on a check flight that night where the pilot was undergoing the annual test and a test of using night vision goggles.
There was nothing to suggest that they had removed. The fact that they were getting close and asked for a visual separation and it was approved, with the crash arising 20 seconds later is ironic if the control tower knew the fatal accident was about to happen.