The Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the fatal midair collision in Washington, D.C., had a tracking system turned off, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.

The wreckage of the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines plane over the Potomac River in Washington DC has been removed from the crash site and is being examined by the National Transportation Safety Board.

A key safety system was turned off in a US army helicopter when it crashed into an American Airlines flight last week, killing 67 people.