Washington (AP) – Federal Investigator January Clash It recommended a ban on several helicopter flights on Tuesday between passenger jets near Washington, D.C. and Army helicopters that killed 67 people, saying the current setup “poses an unbearable risk.”
Jennifer Homendy's National Road Safety Board chair has submitted horrifying statistics about near misses to highlight the long-standing dangers near Ronald Reagan National Airport, expressing his anger that airborne collisions are needed for this to be revealed.
In just three years, she said there were 85 close calls if the same kind of accident happened that happened on January 29th, a few feet (meters) in the wrong direction. Military helicopter collided As the plane approaches the airport, there is an American Airlines jet across the Potomac River.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said the NTSB recommendations will be adopted for routes where the air collision occurred. He noted that there will be several changes to guidelines released Wednesday, including allowing presidents to fly and save lives.
Helicopters will no longer fly under the landing plane and “pass through the needle,” he said.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommends a ban on helicopter flights in areas where military choppers and passenger jets collide near Washington, reported by Washington, DC Associated Press Correspondent Donna Warder.
The Federal Aviation Administration also used artificial intelligence to analyze data from all airports to ensure there are no similar dangers elsewhere, adding that there are other airports between traffic.
Both Homedy and Duffy said the dangers at Reagan Airport should have been previously recognized by the FAA.
“The data was there, and it wasn't effectively analyzed to make sure there was this risk,” Duffy said.
The NTSB determined that the existing separation distance between planes and helicopters at Reagan Airport is “inadequate and poses a risk that cannot withstand aviation safety,” Homendy said.
She said they were devastated for their families who are grieving because of the loss of a loved one. He was among the victims 28 members of the figure skating community.
“We should not take tragedy to demand immediate action,” she said.
Several family members who lost loved ones said in a statement that the NTSB preliminary report showed this was not an isolated incident.
“It also strengthens what we are strengthening, as the families of the victims are already suspected. The serious and systematic failure of air travel safety continues to cost the lives of our loved ones and threaten public safety,” the statement said.
Robert Clifford, an aviation lawyer representing at least six families, said the airline is responsible for addressing known issues.
“People who have been charged with transport in the duty of top care cannot run yellow lights and fire red lights for years, which is just pathetic,” he said.
Proposed changes aimed at improving safety
Under current practice, helicopters and planes could be as close as 75 feet (23 meters) closer to each other during landing, Homendy said. Investigators have identified 15,000 aircraft instances for helicopter proximity between October 2021 and December 2024.
Investigators determined that the plane had received serious alerts to take evasive action as it was at least once a month between October 2011 and December 2024. In more than half of these instances, the helicopter may have exceeded the established altitude limits of the route.
Safety advocate Mary Siabo, a former U.S. Department of Transportation inspector, called it a “shocking mission” by the FAA because it was unable to act on data collected in the weeks since the crash. She said the FAA has pledged to warn pilots about locations where there is a high risk of collisions.
“They're going to be really aggressive in warning pilots about these hotspots. So this is beyond hotspots,” Schiavo said. “This is absolutely radioactive and it's incredible to hold 15,214 close-up events in three years.”
Following the air collision, the FAA took steps to limit it Helicopter flight Around the airport to ensure that planes and helicopters no longer share the same airspace. If a helicopter needs to pass, the flight will be temporarily put on hold.
The NTSB proposal may close critical routes for law enforcement, Coast Guard patrols and government operational flights, but only accounts for around 5% of flights in Reagan if the runway in question is in use.
Homedy said the NTSB recommends the FAA finding a “permanent solution” for alternative routes that are even further away for helicopter traffic.
Find the cause of the crash
Investigators said the helicopter might have had it. Inaccurate altitude measurements At the moment before the crash, the crew may not have heard important instructions from the air traffic controller. The helicopter's radio altitude was 278 feet (85 meters), exceeding the 200 feet (61 meters) limit for the location.
The helicopter pilot may have missed some of the other communications when the tower said the jet was heading towards another runway, Homendy said last month. And the crew were wearing night vision goggles that restricted the visibility of the surroundings.
The Black Hawk crew consisted of instructor pilots with 968 hours of flight experience, approximately 450 pilots and a chief of nearly 1,150 crew members. Army officials said the crew were familiar with the busy skies around Washington.
In the ongoing investigation, the NTSB examines Reagan's traffic volume and control tower staffing to determine whether any of these factors play a role. It will take more than a year to get the final NTSB report.
Aviation safety expert John Cox said he'd been in and out of Reagan on all sorts of planes since the late 1970s and received collision alerts about helicopters, but it was usually easy for them to pass behind him.
“We are pleased to announce that we are committed to providing safety operating systems for air safety consulting firms in St. Petersburg, Florida,” said Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems.
For this conflict to occur, he added, several things had to be wrong.
Recent air disaster splates
Within just one month before this year, Four major aviation disasters In North America, it is recently in mid-February. Delta Flight has been turned over It landed on the roof of Toronto's Pearson Airport and injured 21 people.
These accidents and close calls I left it worried When it comes to flight safety, fatal crashes are rare and the track record for US airlines is very healthy.
President Donald Trump Condemned an air collision He promised to replace it with what he called an “outdated” air traffic control system. He also denounced the helicopter. Flight is too expensive.
Federal Employees It raises concerns Especially after a series of close calls at the airport, the air traffic control system that has been overtensive and understaffed over the years.
Doug Lane, whose wife, Christine Conrad Lane and 16-year-old son Spencer, crashed, said he hopes that the method of reporting will be better seen soon on Tuesday and that NTSB recommendations will be implemented.
“If you're investing in an organization like this, you need to be equipped with cutting-edge technology and be staffed at the level you set up for success,” Lane said.
Duffy said Tuesday that he will present an expensive plan to Congress within weeks to overhaul the system with new technology. He hopes to complete it within four years.
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Associated Press Writer Mary Claredale from Philadelphia contributed to this report. Seewer was reported from Toledo, Ohio. Funk was reported from Omaha, Nebraska.
