A recent report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that over 15,000 'near midair collision events' occurred near Ronald Reagan National Airport in just over three years.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The NTSB released a lengthy investigation report into the collision between a helicopter and an airliner near the airport. A Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines plane as it attempted to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in January. The chopper was reportedly on a training exercise by the river at the time, and the collision claimed the lives of everybody on board both aircraft.
The NTSB report says there were 15,214 occurrences between commercial airplanes and helicopters between October 2021 and December 2024. 85 of those events were notably closer and "involved a lateral separation less than 1,500 ft and vertical separation less than 200 ft."
Per the New York Post, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy spoke to reporters on Tuesday. She called the helicopter routes near the airport an "intolerable risk to aviation safety." Homendy also said she was angry that nothing had been done sooner.
A Helicopter Flight Ban Is Proposed In Light Of The NTSB Report
According to coverage by CNN, the NTSB recommended that helicopters should be banned from a four-mile stretch of airspace over the Potomac River when flights are landing at the airport. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has 'agreed to adopt' the recommendation. He reportedly described allowing helicopters to occupy the same airspace as commercial flights as "threading the needle."
The report does not reveal the probable cause for the accident or which aircraft was at fault. The outlet explains we may not know for over a year.
The revelation that helicopters and airliners shared the same airspace by the river raised a few eyebrows in the aftermath of the disaster. On January 30, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy described the helicopter occupation in the area as a 'standard pattern.'
Duffy also explained that there was communication between the aircraft and the disaster was preventable. The pilots of both vehicles were also in contact with the air traffic control tower. The disaster claimed 67 lives.
