DC plane crash updates: Probe makes progress as crews still search for helicopter parts
DC plane crash updates: Probe makes progress as crews still search for helicopter parts
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DC plane crash debris recovered from Potomac River
Authorities have begun to pull the aircrafts out of the Potomac River from the plane crash that killed 67 in D.C.
WASHINGTON – Salvage crews on Friday are expected to search only for a few more pieces of wreckage in the Potomac River after recovering most of the debris from the horrific collision of a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that left 67 dead last week.
Since recovery operations on the river began Monday, authorities have retrieved most of the crashed jet and U.S. Army helicopter, both of which will be analyzed as part of federal authorities' probe into the cause of the deadliest aviation disaster in over two decades.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in an update Thursday evening that it is still searching for some parts of the helicopter, including the right engine and tail rotor. Officials said the wreckage is expected to be offloaded from a barge on Friday and transferred to a secure location.
To assist with the operation, Unified Command said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will fly over the Potomac at a low altitude and project a green laser onto the water's surface to scan for debris. The flight was scheduled to take place around 2 a.m. Friday.
In recent days, more information has been released about the circumstances of the collision. On Thursday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the helicopter, which was on a routine training mission, had turned off an advanced surveillance system that is said to heighten safety and visibility by automatically sending aircraft location data to air traffic controllers, including altitude and speed.
The NTSB has said that data indicated the Black Hawk may have been flying above its 200-foot flight ceiling, though the agency said investigators need to access the crashed aircraft to verify the data.
Contributing: Minnah Arshad
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