Recovery of Black Box from Black Hawk Helicopter Following Deadly Collision

The National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) has announced the recovery of the black box from the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a passenger jet in Washington, D.C. The agency expressed a strong belief that valuable information could be garnered from the black box, which, alongside the already recovered recorders from the American Airlines aircraft, will be sent for detailed analysis.

During a media briefing, NTSB member Todd Inman revealed that the black box was located and is now securely at NTSB headquarters. Inspections showed no visible damage, leading the agency to feel confident about obtaining a full extraction of the data. The recordings from the crash are expected to provide critical details about the final moments before the tragic accident at Ronald Reagan Airport on Wednesday, which resulted in the deaths of 67 people.

a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. The flight data recorder, which was described as being in good condition, has been treated to enhance the data extraction process, with hopes for a complete download soon. However, Inman cautioned that they would not release this information immediately as it requires meticulous synchronization of up to 2,000 data sets, a time-consuming but essential task.

The cockpit voice recorder, which sustained water exposure after crashing into the Potomac River, is being evaluated for its electrical connections before attempting any downloads. Inman noted that such water intrusion is a common issue during crash investigations, and the NTSB's expertise in handling these situations contributes to their confidence in successfully retrieving the necessary data. The agency is undergoing multiple steps to ensure a full recovery of the data as efficiently as possible.