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FAA Reveals Two More Scary Close Calls After Deadly D.C. Collision

New rules aim to better control how planes and helicopters cross paths in the air.

The Federal Aviation Administration has revealed two recent close calls between helicopters and planes after last year’s deadly midair collision near Washington. The FAA announced on Wednesday that they were suspending the practice in which pilots relied on their own sight to determine a safe distance between planes and helicopters in areas where they are likely to cross paths. Air traffic controllers will now use radar to keep aircraft separated, following a year-long review by the FAA’s safety team. In making the announcement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford shared two recent near misses involving aircraft. One was American Airlines Flight 1657, which was cleared to land at San Antonio International Airport on Feb. 27 when a police helicopter was flying through the airport’s final approach path. Both aircraft were on converging courses until the helicopter turned left to avoid the plane. And a Beechcraft 99 was cleared to land at Hollywood Burbank Airport on March 2 at the same time a helicopter was on the final approach path, requiring it to turn right to avoid the plane. The midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet on Jan. 29, 2025, killed 67 people, making it the deadliest commercial aviation accident in the U.S. in over 20 years. Bedford said their investigations had “identified an over-reliance on pilot ‘see and avoid’ operations.” Duffy said the Washington collision had revealed “a startling truth: years of warning signs were missed, and the FAA needed dire reform. Since then, we’ve implemented numerous changes to protect the skies over our capital and keep the traveling public safe.”

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