Were Black Hawk soldiers wearing night vision goggles during DC plane crash? Pete Hegseth says ‘crew did have…’

Amid the ongoing DC plane-helicopter crash probe, US investigators have started looking into whether Black Hawk soldiers were wearing night vision goggles.

Last Wednesday night, the military helicopter smashed into the passenger airplane while they were conducting a mandatory night training, claiming lives of at least 67 people aboard American Airlines jet.

Pete Hegseth, Trump's Defence Secretary, stated that the crew “did have night-vision goggles” with them, but he did not specify if they were donning them at the time of the crash.

Investigators looking for evidence to know if goggles were in use

In order to ascertain if the goggles were in use, detectives are currently looking at evidence from the crash site, such as the precise position of the three soldiers' helmets and other equipment, according to The New York Times.

According to reports, investigators are “particularly interested” in finding the bags, in which the crew members were supposed to store their goggles as they believe that if they are empty, it would be likely that the devices were in use.

It would be fairly certain that the goggles were not in use at the time of the deadly crash if they were discovered inside the bags.

“If the goggles were down, they would push into the face and cause more facial structure injuries,” the outlet quoted David Soucie, a former safety inspector and accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Also Read: Shocking 'conspiracy theory' about Black Hawk chopper's crash with plane is true as Army withholds pilot's identity

Here's what experts have to say on ‘goggles’ use

The data might be discovered through autopsies or postmortem findings, but Soucie points out that the crash's catastrophic consequences and the plunge into the Potomac River might make this challenging for researchers to determine.

The goggles might have been ripped from the airmen's helmets during the collision, according to experts.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Monday that it had finished interrogating air traffic controllers.

According to authorities, the plane removal process will take a few days, after which they will remove the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopter.

Out of 67 victims, 55 have been recognised and identified following the Wednesday crash. It was the deadliest US air catastrophe since 2001.