- In a preliminary report about the Jan. 29 air crash outside Washington, D.C., the NTSB gave urgent safety recommendations.
- The NTSB asks the FAA to restrict helicopter traffic around Ronald Regan Airport.
- The investigation into the crash is ongoing and the board will continue simulations and interviews.
After an investigation into the deadly collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, or DCA, the National Transportation Safety Board called for immediate changes around the airport.
The NTSB’s preliminary report on the Jan. 29 crash that killed 67 people said current helicopter routes allowed around the airport are an “intolerable risk to aviation safety,” per ABC. The report was released on Tuesday.
January’s crash at the airport near Washington is the U.S.’s deadliest air crash in over 20 years. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, called on the Federal Aviation Administration to enact immediate restrictions recommended by the board.
“We continue to mourn the lives lost in the tragic accident involving Flight 5342. We’re grateful for the National Transportation Safety Board’s urgent safety recommendations to restrict helicopter traffic near DCA and for its thorough investigation,” said American Airlines in a statement, according to CNN.
According to ABC, the NTSB’s investigation is ongoing. Homendy added that the board will be conducting a number of simulations and additional interviews, and will also continue its examination of radio altimeters, barometric altimeters and additional electronics.
Recommended restrictions on helicopters
The FAA has been asked by the NTSB to permanently ban helicopters from flying near DCA when Runways 15 and 33 are in use, per ABC. It has also been recommended that an alternative route be provided for helicopter pilots.
Homendy told reporters that the existing allowable distances between helicopters and planes “are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a midair collision at DCA,” per NBC.
“Let me repeat: That they pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety. We’re therefore recommending today that the FAA permanently prohibit operations on helicopters ... between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge,” she added.
After the crash occurred, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy quickly put a temporary restriction on helicopter traffic over the Potomac River by DCA until March 31, per ABC. The NTSB’s recommendation would be a permanent restriction.
Thousands of close calls happened before the crash in January
Homendy shared that between October 2021 and December 2024 there were 944,179 commercial operations at DCA. In that time period there were 15,214 close proximity events between commercial airplanes and helicopters, according to NBC.
The close proximity events saw a lateral separation of less than one nautical mile and a vertical separation of less than 400 feet between the two aircraft, Homendy added.
In 85 events, there was a lateral separation of less than 1,500 feet and a vertical separation of less than 200 feet. A vast majority of encounters between helicopters and commercial aircraft happened on approaches to landing.
At least once a month between 2011 and 2024, a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System resolution advisory was triggered at Reagan Airport due to proximity to a helicopter, per ABC. These advisories are the most serious warning, telling pilots to take immediate evasive action to avoid a collision.
“It does make me angry. But it also makes me feel incredibly devastated for families that are grieving because they lost loved ones,” Homendy said, according to ABC. “It shouldn’t take tragedy like this to occur. Unfortunately, one did, and so we are calling on action, but there clearly were indicators where safety trending could have occurred.”