The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the PSA Airlines-operated regional jet that crashed near Ronald Reagan National airport after colliding in midair with a US Army helicopter have been recovered by investigators.
The US National Transportation Board (NTSB) shared images on social media of investigators transporting, cleaning and opening both devices on 30 January, the day after an MHIRJ CRJ700 flown by American Airlines subsidiary PSA collided with a UH-60M Black Hawk on a night proficiency flight near Washington, DC.
Both devices, reportedly recovered from the bottom of the icy Potomac River, will be critical evidence for investigators tasked with determining the cause of the first fatal accident involving a US airline since 2009.
“The recorders are at the NTSB labs for evaluation,” the agency says.
The accident, which launched a major search and rescue operation amid extremely challenging conditions, is believed to have killed 67 people – 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the CRJ700 and three army personnel.
