Air traffic controllers will now rely on radar systems to monitor helicopter movements around airplanes rather than solely visual checks, announced by federal officials on Wednesday. This shift comes in the wake of last year's tragic midair collision near Washington, D.C.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has noted a rise in near-miss incidents, indicating that existing guidelines for visual separation between helicopters and aircraft were insufficient for safety, especially at busy airports.
Beginning this new initiative, air traffic controllers will be required to ensure adequate lateral or vertical spacing between helicopters and airplanes using radar. This protocol extends to more than 150 of the nation’s busiest airports, including previously established regulations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Today, we are proactively mitigating risks before they affect the traveling public, said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in a statement. This proactive approach follows a thorough assessment of national airspace operations after last year’s accident, which revealed an overreliance on pilot visual cues and an inadequacy in safety measures.
Recent incidents have further influenced the new regulations, including a near-miss on February 27, where a police helicopter made evasive maneuvers to avoid an incoming American Airlines flight and another close encounter on March 2 involving a helicopter at Hollywood Burbank Airport.
The collision in January 2025 involved an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, resulting in 67 fatalities, marking it as the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil since 2001. Investigators attributed part of the disaster to air traffic controllers' heavy reliance on visual spotting, rather than effective radar monitoring.
The night of the tragic incident, the controller approved the helicopter's requests to make turns twice, but it was later determined that the helicopter pilots may not have seen the American Airlines aircraft as it landed on a secondary runway.
Among those who perished in the collision were many young figure skaters and their families, returning from a sports camp after a major competition in Wichita, Kansas.
