The Army Blackhawk helicopter that collided with an American Eagle flight over the Potomac River late last month was flying with a safety system turned off, Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters Thursday following a closed door briefing by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.

Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will focus on retrieving the mangled helicopter, a crucial component in federal authorities' probe as they look to confirm data related to its altitude at the time of the collision,