WASHINGTON — The distances separating helicopter traffic from commercial airplanes near Reagan National Airport "pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety," National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday.

In the agency's preliminary investigation into the midair crash between an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter in January that killed 67 people, she warned of the potential for a future midair collision at the airport if the situation is not addressed.

What You Need To Know

  • The distances separating helicopter traffic from commercial airplanes in the area where an American Airlines jet collided midair with a military helicopter in January "pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety," National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday

  • The NTSB made two safety recomendations to the Federal Avaiation Administration

  • It suggests permanently prohibiting operations on the route the military helicopter was using on the night of the crash when DCA runways 15 and 33 are being used for airplane departures and arrivals

  • It also recommends the FAA designate an alternative helicopter route

As part of its investigation, the NTSB found Reagan National Airport, from October 2021 and December 2024, had experienced more than 15,000 close-proximity events between commercial planes and helicopters where the aircraft were separated by less than 400 feet vertically. In 85 of those encounters, the aircraft were separated by just 200 vertical feet. 

In half of the close-proximity encounters the agency reviewed over a 13-year period from 2011 and 2024, the helicopter was above the route altitude restriction, as the Army Black Hawk may have been on Jan. 29. Two-thirds of the encounters occurred at night.

Homendy praised Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for taking swift action following the midair crash to restrict helicopter traffic from operating over the Potomac River, where the two aircraft collided. With that operational pause scheduled to end March 31, she said, “’We remain concerned about the significant potential for a future midair collision at DCA, which is why we recommend a permanent solution today.”

Saying the existing separation distances between helicopter traffic and commercial aircraft approaching DCA’s runway 33, as was the case in the Jan. 29 crash, “are insufficient,” the agency issued two recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Homedy urged the FAA to permanently prohibit operations on the route the military helicopter was using on the night of the crash when DCA runways 15 and 33 are being used for airplane departures and arrivals. Because closing the helicopter route would restrict law enforcement activity, Coast Guard patrols and other government operations, the NTSB also recommened the FAA designate an alternative helicopter route but did not prescribe a specific replacement.

Homendy said the NTSB “still has a lot of work to do” to determine the cause of the worst U.S. aviation crash in nearly a quarter century. The agency remains in the fact-finding phase, with plans to conduct simulations of the crash and a comprehensive visibility study for the Black Hawk, American Airlines plane and the air traffic control tower under night conditions.

Investigators will also examine the helicopter altimeters and electronics.

During a news briefing last month, Homendy said the crew of the Army helicopter that collided with the American Airlines jet may have had a malfunctioning altimeter that did not accurately display its altitude. 

About three minutes before the aircraft collided, the helicopter pilot reported being at 300 feet while the instructor pilot indicated they were at 400 feet, Homendy said last month, adding that neither pilot made a comment discussing the altitude discrepancy. The maximum allowed altitude for helicopters in the area was 200 feet.