FAA Permanently Restricts Helicopters From Flying Near Washington D.C. Airport | EUROtoday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Helicopters will probably be completely restricted from flying close to Washington, D.C.’s airport on the identical route the place a passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair, killing 67 individuals, the Federal Aviation Administration stated Friday.

The transfer comes simply days after federal investigators wanting into the reason for the crash really helpful a ban on some helicopter flights, saying a string of close to misses lately confirmed that the present setup “poses an intolerable risk.”

The FAA, which manages the nation’s airspace and oversees aviation security, has come below criticism after the National Transportation Safety Board stated there had been an alarming variety of close to misses in current 12 months within the congested skies round Ronald Reagan National Airport.

The closure of the helicopter route close to the airport makes everlasting restrictions put in place after Jan. 29 midair collision. The FAA order will permit a number of exceptions for helicopter use, together with presidential flights together with regulation enforcement and lifesaving missions.

The FAA additionally stated it’s learning cities with airports the place there are a excessive variety of various kinds of plane sharing the identical house, together with eight metro areas with busy helicopter routes: Boston, New York, Baltimore-Washington, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles.

It is also offshore helicopter operations alongside the Gulf Coast.

Before the collision, there have been 28 authorities businesses approved to fly helicopters close to Reagan National, together with the Department of Defense, navy companies, regulation enforcement, and emergency medical companies.

The Army Black Hawk concerned within the January crash belonged to the twelfth Aviation Battalion primarily based at Davison Army Air Field at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. That unit has a categorised mission to make sure continuity of presidency by getting sure officers to security in case of an assault.

It can also be tasked with ferrying high-ranking authorities and navy officers to bases all through the area. Before the crash the now-closed route was an everyday a part of their mission routes and coaching.

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.