An Army Black Hawk was flying Helicopter Route 4 that night when it crashed into a regional American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, on approach to Reagan National, killing all 60 passengers and four crew members on board. The three soldiers aboard the helicopter also died.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said during a news briefing Tuesday that the board recommends the Federal Aviation Administration permanently prohibits operations on Helicopter Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when Runway 15 and Runway 33 at Reagan National are in use.
Homendy laid out frightening statistics about near misses to underscore the danger that has existed for years near Reagan National and expressed anger that it took a midair collision for it to come to light.
There’s a possible allowed separation of only 75 feet between planes approaching Runway 33 and helicopters in the Route 4 corridor, according to the NTSB.
“We recognize that a total closure of Helicopter 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge during times when Runway 15 and Runway 33 are in use would restrict a vital aviation corridor used for law enforcement activity, Coast Guard patrols and continuity of government operations,” Homendy said.
That’s why, she said, the board is recommending the FAA designate an alternative helicopter route that can be used to facilitate travel between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is closed.
“The existing separation distances” between that helicopter route and planes approaching or leaving those runways “are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a midair collision,” Homendy said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he’ll adopt the NTSB’s recommendations for the route where the midair collision occurred. He noted there will be some modifications in the guidelines to be released Wednesday, including allowing presidential flights and lifesaving missions.
“The data was there. It wasn’t effectively analyzed to see we had this risk,” Duffy said.
Between October 2021 and December 2024, there were 15,214 “close proximity events” between commercial airplanes and helicopters near Reagan National, according to Homendy.
The NTSB is expected to recommend more changes after it completes its investigation and releases a full report — a process that typically takes more than a year to complete.
Tuesday’s preliminary report also lays out more facts the board has uncovered during the first six weeks of its investigation.
Investigators have said the helicopter may have had inaccurate altitude readings in the moments before the crash, and the crew may not have heard key instructions from air traffic controllers. The collision likely occurred at an altitude just under 300 feet (91 meters), as the plane descended toward the helicopter, which was well above its 200-foot (61-meter) limit for that location.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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