Army Helicopter Pilots Likely Using Night-Vision Before Crash
Emergency crews work at the crash site on the Potomac River after a passenger jet collided with a helicopter while landing in Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 30.
Photographer: Tierney L. Cross/BloombergThe pilots of the US Army helicopter that collided with an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet near Washington last week were likely wearing night-vision goggles at the time of the accident.
Preliminary information including the type of mission they were flying and crew communications indicates the pilots were using the device, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday. Cockpit voice recordings did not capture pilots of the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk stating that they were “flying unaided,” which flight crews would typically say when operating the aircraft without the devices.