"I will say the NTSB, they are serious professionals. Any time there is an aviation accident, especially one involving a loss of life, they engage in a serious and thorough investigation, as they should. And what happened with this accident was tragic and catastrophic," added Cruz, who is the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. "Sixty-seven souls lost their lives. We need to follow the evidence. We need to determine exactly what caused it," he added. "And then we need to learn lessons from the cause of that accident. Do everything possible to prevent a subsequent accident." Search efforts in DC after a collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter