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NTSB preliminary report cites chronic close calls at DCA; recommends permanent helicopter-route changes
Summary
At a Senate hearing, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary findings on the Jan. 29 midair collision near Reagan National Airport and urged the FAA to close a segment of Helicopter Route 4 when Runways 15 or 33 are active; the FAA moved to make several restrictions permanent.
The Subcommittee on Aviation and Space of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation heard updates on the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation of the Jan. 29 midair collision that killed 67 people and involved an Army Black Hawk and American Airlines Flight 5342.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told the panel that her agency’s preliminary report found more than 15,000 close‑proximity events between helicopters and commercial aircraft at Reagan National Airport (DCA) between October 2021 and December 2024, including 85 occasions with vertical separation under 200 feet. “We determined that the separation distances between helicopter traffic operating on Route 4 and aircraft using Runways 15 and 33 are insufficient,” Homendy said, and the board recommended the FAA prohibit operations on the portion of Helicopter Route 4 between Haynes Point and the Wilson Bridge when those runways are in use.
Why it matters: Committee members said the NTSB data show a systemic…
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