Army Black Hawk in DC plane crash had turned off electronic location system - Senator Cruz | 7 Feb 2025 | The Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the fatal midair collision near Reagan National Airport last week had an advanced tracking system turned off at the time of the incident, according to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. The Texas Republican on Thursday told reporters that the Black Hawk helicopter's automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), which is permitted for military aircraft, was not active when it collided with an American Airlines passenger jet over the Potomac River in the Washington, D.C., area, killing 67. "This was a training mission, so there was no compelling national security reason for ADS-B to be turned off," Cruz said after sitting in on a briefing by the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).