Near Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2025, a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional plane tragically collided in midair. Everyone on board, numbering 67 in all, perished in the crash.
Following this, the black boxes from the military helicopter and the American Airlines plane were recovered by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In order to piece together what happened before the crash, investigators will need these devices, which include the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.
Various flight characteristics, including speed, altitude, and heading, are monitored by the flight data recorder, while the cockpit voice recorder collects pilot communications and ambient sounds within the cockpit. We can learn more about what led up to the crash by analyzing this data.
The need for comprehensive investigations to improve aviation safety is emphasized by the fact that this occurrence is the deadliest U.S. aviation tragedy since 2001. It is believed that the elements contributing to this unfortunate accident will be illuminated by the NTSB’s continuing examination of the recovered black boxes.
