The devastating mid-air collision in Washington DC that claimed 67 lives last week could have been prevented, said Senator Ted Cruz in an interview on Thursday, February 6. The accident happened on January 29 when a US military Black Hawk helicopter crashed into an American Airlines jet during its final descent at Reagan National Airport.

Following a closed-door briefing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Cruz, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, raised concerns over the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system, which he claimed was disabled. The Black Hawk was on a training mission when the tragedy struck.

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What is ADS-B and Why Does it Matter?

ADS-B is one of the key aviation safety tools, which sends real-time data about an aircraft’s position, altitude, and speed. While radar has a delay, ADS-B allows faster and more accurate tracking, and gives air traffic controllers a much better situational awareness, especially in congested airspace.

Military aircraft are allowed to turn off ADS-B on missions classified under “continuity of government.” Cruz said the Black Hawk flight was not classified under that.

“In this case, it was a training exercise, so no overriding reason for national security, to turn off the ADS-B,” Cruz said.

The US Army did not respond to these claims. Army Spokesman Colonel Roger Cabiness said, “We’re going to let the investigation play out and not get ahead of the NTSB findings.”

How Did the Collision Occur?

While this helicopter was set up with the transponder of the aircraft used in ADS-B, Cruz underscores that superior track data could have averted the collision incident. The exercise was for black-hawk, which is going to be given a pilot check ride when he collided with one passenger jet:.

Recovery efforts of the wreckage from the Potomac River are ongoing, with NTSB investigators working to retrieve critical evidence. Senators who attended the briefing said they would not comment on any conclusions until they have more information.

Calls for Tighter Airspace Rules

Cruz is calling on the FAA to reconsider and possibly eliminate helicopter routes that cross commercial airspace. He wants better safety measures, especially where there is high traffic on the flight path.

The FAA, meanwhile has reduced the hour operations of flight into Reagan National Airport, after keeping one runway shut for ongoing investigation.