NTSB Makes Urgent Recommendations on Helicopter Traffic Near Reagan National Airport
Source: NTSB Preliminary report also released on Jan. 29 midair collision The National Transportation Safety Board urgently recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration permanently prohibit helicopter operations near Washington’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 asked the FAA to prohibit helicopter operations near DCA when runways 15 and 33 are in use, and to designate an alternative helicopter route. The accident occurred on the evening of Jan. 29, when 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 [...]