Helicopter route permanently closed after fatal Washington DC crash
The closure of the helicopter route near the airport makes permanent restrictions put in place after the January 29 mid-air collision.
Helicopters will be permanently restricted from flying near Washington DC’s airport on the same route where a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided in mid-air, killing 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The move comes just days after federal investigators looking into the cause of the crash recommended a ban on some helicopter flights, saying a string of near misses in recent years showed that the current set-up “poses an intolerable risk”.
The FAA, which manages the nation’s airspace and oversees aviation safety, has come under criticism after the National Transportation Safety Board said there had been an alarming number of near misses in recent year in the congested skies around Ronald Reagan National Airport.
The closure of the helicopter route near the airport makes permanent restrictions put in place after the January 29 mid-air collision.
The FAA order will allow a few exceptions for helicopter use, including presidential flights along with law enforcement and life-saving missions.
The FAA also said it is studying cities with airports where there are a high number of different types of aircraft sharing the same space, including eight metro areas with busy helicopter routes – Boston, New York, Baltimore-Washington, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles.
It is also looking at offshore helicopter operations along the Gulf Coast.
Before the collision, there were 28 government agencies authorised to fly helicopters near Reagan National, including the Department of Defence, military services, law enforcement and emergency medical services.
The Army Black Hawk involved in the January crash belonged to the 12th Aviation Battalion based at Davison Army Air Field at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
That unit has a classified mission to ensure continuity of government by getting certain officials to safety in case of an attack.
It is also tasked with ferrying high-ranking government and military officials to bases throughout the region. Before the crash the now-closed route was a regular part of their mission routes and training.
