The NTSB issued urgent recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration to permanently prohibit helicopter operations near Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport, or DCA, when certain runways are in use for arrivals or departures, calling it “an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chance of a midair collision.”
The NTSB also released its preliminary report on the Jan. 29 accident in which a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter transiting an FAA-designated helicopter corridor collided with a PSA Airlines regional jet on final approach to DCA’s runway 33. The collision killed 67 passengers and crew on both aircraft.
Learn More:
- Media Briefing recording
- Press release
- The urgent safety recommendation report and the preliminary report are both available on the DCA midair collision investigation webpage