Helicopters Permanently Restricted Near Reagan Airport After Deadly DC Plane Crash

ARLINGTON, VA — The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday permanently banned all non-essential helicopters from flying near Reagan National Airport on the same route where an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk Army helicopter collided, killing 67 people.

The move comes just days after the National Transportation Safety Board recommended a ban on some helicopter flights, citing thousands of near-misses between planes and helicopters in recent years.

“We've determined that the existing separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on Route Four and aircraft landing on Runway Three are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a midair collision at DCA,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference Tuesday.

The FAA made one exception in its order. If a helicopter must fly through the airspace on an urgent mission, such as lifesaving medical, priority law enforcement, or presidential transport, the FAA will keep them specific distances away from airplanes.

The closure of the helicopter route near the airport makes permanent the restrictions put in place after the Jan. 29 midair collision of American Airlines flight 5342 and an Army helicopter on a training flight. The plane was about to land at Reagan Airport when the crash occurred, killing everyone on board both aircraft.

The FAA also said it is studying cities with airports where there are a high number of different types of aircraft sharing the same space, including eight metro areas with busy helicopter routes: Boston, New York, Baltimore-Washington, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles.

It also is looking at offshore helicopter operations along the Gulf Coast. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said this week that the FAA will use artificial intelligence to analyze data to look for similar danger areas.

But first Duffy vowed to adopt the NTSB’s recommendations for reducing airspace congestion near Reagan National and stop helicopters from “threading the needle” by flying under landing planes.

The Army supports the FAA’s efforts to improve aviation safety around the nation's capital and will use "alternative routes to mitigate impacts on training and readiness,” spokesman Matt Ahearn said Friday.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.