On February 3, after a collision between an American Airlines plane and military helicopter,  It was announced that all the biggest parts of the wreckage had been collected from the Potomac River.   Recovery took place in the vicinity of the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as a result of a collision that took place on the previous January 29.

    Authorities conducted a detailed scan of the Potomac Riverbed. It was a ambitious project. they used cool laser pulses to get a clear picture of what’s under the water. The NTSB said they found some big pieces.  They also said.  "Divers investigated those targets and will continue that work this week. ".  They are optimistic that they will find some more pieces.

    Turns out, the wreckage of the two aircraft were taken to a safe place for the job of examining  flight data and other information.  Scientists and investigators will be eager to retrieve the “witness marks” which are basically signs on the aircraft that can give us clues to the dreadful collision. By studying the debris. Investigators can solve  the mystery to see what went wrong.

    They  tested the river for important clues that could shed light on the crash.   It was a detailed process. Scientists sent out green laser pulses to map out the riverbed.  Each pulse took about a second to lock on to the target. The area mapped was large, totaling about 40 square miles in search area.  It scanned without pausing, so it was very efficient.  Divers followed up the scan by exploring the areas scientists identified.

    Experts are looking high and low for any info on the ADS-B.   The army confirmed that it was installed on the helicopter. “Many people are asking. ” Did this influence the collision?   The ADS-B system tells us things like the plane’s position, altitude, speed, and where it's headed.   Another super important thing everyone is wondering.    Should ADS-B been on or off?  These are all valid questions.   If it had been on, then investigators would have a better idea what was happening in the sky up at the time of the crash.

    There was no one in charge to monitor the helicopters during  the training exercise. There was no reason for the

    technology to be turned off,  security concerns or otherwise,    the helicopter could have used "ADS-B" to stay safe.  It could have been a game changer.

    People started talking about safety. The helicopter wasn't conducting any secret operations,    so there is no reason to believe that it shouldn't have been tracking its flight.   And it is easy to argue that the  helicopter could have communicated better with other aircraft,  as long as its ADS-B was on and operational, with the best gear there is.  The helicopter was involved in a normal training exercise, and it wasn't hiding out or performing any secret mission. There was no compelling reason to leave the system turned on.   So what went wrong?

    Everyone in charge is looking at the FAA and hoping for a nation-wide review of airports.  Many planes and helicopters fly close together near airports.  So the Federal aviation administration announced that they will be looking at airports. They want to find ways to make things safer for everyone.

    For now, however, air traffic has slowed down at the Washington National Airport.   Every hour, They had to cancel 2 flights.   This means that people's flights might be delayed more.  On average, it went from 50 minutes to 40 minutes.  But.  This had to happen.  Everyone is eager to do the right thing.

Midair Chaos in DC: Pieces of the Puzzle Recovered

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