Major Safety Changes Implemented After Shocking D.C. Midair Collision!
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Tuesday that the ban on helicopter operations along the route of January’s deadly midair collision over Washington, D.C., will remain in place. The decision follows an urgent recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which warned of ,a “serious safety risk.”
The crash between a military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane killed 67 people, marking the first major U.S. commercial airline disaster since 2009. The American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, was approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport when it collided with the helicopter, sending both aircraft into the Potomac River.
NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy emphasized that helicopters flying near the airport’s runways at the maximum authorized altitude of 200 feet could have as little as 75 feet of vertical separation from landing planes—an “intolerable risk” to aviation safety.
Duffy, who initially issued a temporary ban after the crash, confirmed at a press conference that the restriction will stay in place, with exceptions only for presidential, life-saving, or law enforcement missions.
New Safety Measures Announced After Deadly D.C. Midair Collision
The NTSB is urging the FAA to establish an alternative helicopter route near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after a fatal January collision killed 67 people. The recommendation comes after a review of nearly 15 years of aviation incidents, revealing frequent close calls between helicopters and planes in the area.
Between 2011 and 2024, at least one traffic alert and collision warning was triggered every month due to helicopters flying too close to planes. In more than half of these cases, helicopters exceeded the 200-foot altitude restriction. From 2021 to 2024 alone, over 15,000 close-proximity incidents were recorded, with 85 of them showing dangerously low separation. The Black Hawk helicopter in the January crash was also flying above its authorized limit.
Sen. Maria Cantwell called for an immediate permanent ban on the existing helicopter route, saying, “This route never should have been allowed to co-exist with commercial flight paths.” American Airlines supported the NTSB’s recommendations, emphasizing the need to restrict helicopter traffic near the airport.
In response, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced an expansion of AI tools to identify other airports facing similar safety risks. He also pushed for a full modernization of the air traffic control system, estimating it would take 3.5 to 4 years and cost tens of billions of dollars. The plan includes upgrading radar, shifting from copper wire to fiber-optic, wireless, and satellite-based systems, and improving runway safety. Verizon has already been contracted to lay fiber cables.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to piece together the cause of the January crash. The NTSB recovered black boxes from both aircraft and found that the helicopter crew may not have heard air traffic control’s last-second instruction to “pass behind” the airliner due to a microphone issue. The collision likely occurred at 325 feet—well above the Black Hawk’s 200-foot altitude restriction.
The full NTSB investigation is expected to take at least a year.