The USS Princeton couldn’t see that.
Can you please read the article again.
Separate out what the fighters could see versus what the USS Princeton could detect.
Hindsight is 20/20.
And, we weren't there. We can't say for certain what the ship could and could not see. Were there any copters aloft? We don't know.
However, radar SHOULD have been outlining the basic maneuvers pretty accurately.