FAA 'permanently restricting' Washington helicopter traffic after fatal midair collision near DC airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday said it is “taking a series of steps” to improve safety near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) after a deadly Jan. 29 midair collision between a commercial plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River that killed 67 people.

The new guidelines come after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended the closure of a helicopter route near DCA Tuesday.

NTSB Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said the location of helicopter Route 4 and the final approach path to DCA runway 33 was an “intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chance of a midair collision.”

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After the directive, the FAA announced in a statement Friday it is “permanently restricting non-essential helicopter operations around DCA” and “eliminating helicopter and fixed-wing mixed traffic.”

It will also permanently close Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge and evaluate alternative helicopter routes as recommended by the NTSB.

“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,” according to a statement from the FAA.

The FAA will also prohibit the simultaneous use of runways 15/33 and 4/22 when helicopters conducting urgent missions are operating near DCA, according to the statement.

The deadly crash, which happened during an Army “flight check,” killed 67 people. There were no survivors.

A subsequent NTSB investigation revealed the helicopter’s crew members may not have known they were flying too high and may not have heard critical messages from air traffic control before the fatal wreck.

In addition, the military’s use of “visual separation” was criticized, with some alleging it could have contributed to the disaster.

The FAA announced Friday it will limit the use of visual separation to certain Coast Guard, Marines and Park Police helicopter operations outside the restricted airspace.

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Homendy said helicopters and planes could be as close as 75 feet apart during landing, according to previous reporting. 

Officials said they identified 15,214 instances of planes getting alerts about helicopters in close proximity between October 2021 and December 2024.

The Army has said the Black Hawk crew was highly experienced and accustomed to the crowded skies around the nation’s capital.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday said the temporary ban on helicopters near the airport would continue. 

“How did the FAA not know?” Duffy asked about the flow of helicopters near the airport. 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.