Federal investigators probing the January midair collision between a passenger jet and a US army helicopter near Washington, DC, have recommended banning some helicopter flights, saying the current flight path "poses an intolerable risk."
The National Transporation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed its preliminary findings in a hearing on Tuesday (US time), emphasising the urgent need for new safety measures to prevent future disasters.
"We've determined that the existing separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on Route 4 and aircraft landing on runway 33 are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety," said NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy.
A history of near misses near Ronald Reagan airport
Ms Homendy outlined alarming statistics about near misses to highlight the danger that has existed for years near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
In just over three years, the NTSB identified 85 documented near misses where aircraft missed each other by a matter of feet.
"It shouldn't take tragedy to require immediate action," Ms Homendy said.
Under current procedures, helicopters and planes can operate as close as 75 feet apart during landing.
According to the NTSB's preliminary report, investigators identified 15,214 occurrences of planes receiving alerts about helicopters in dangerously close proximity between October 2021 and December 2024.
The data also showed that planes received at least one alert per month to take evasive action to avoid helicopters that were too close.
Ms Homendy said the NTSB wanted federal regulators to urgently "prohibit operations on Helicopter Route 4 between Haines Point and the Wilson Bridge when Runways 1-5 and 3-3 are being used for departures and arrivals at DCA."
The proposal would significantly impact law enforcement, coast guard patrol, and government flights.
However, Ms Homendy stressed the need for a "permanent solution" for alternate routes that relocates helicopter traffic farther from the airport to mitigate risk.
Helicopters will no longer be 'threading the needle'
Hours after the NTSB's announcement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy agreed to extend the temporary helicopter flight restrictions implemented after the January 29 collision, which claimed 67 lives.
He said helicopters would no longer be “threading the needle” by flying under landing planes.
"The data was there there. It wasn't effectively analysed to see we had this risk," Mr Duffy said.
He said the Federal Aviation Administration would use artificial intelligence to analyse data from all US airports in a bid to identify similar risks.
He said Washington, DC was not the only location where cross-traffic hazards existed.
