Following the tragic accident in January, in which 67 people lost their lives due to a collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter, an ongoing investigation continues. The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the safety distance between planes and helicopters at Ronald Reagan National Airport was inadequate.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided to restrict helicopter flights around the airport and banned helicopters from using the airspace during plane landings.
Over 15,000 Near Misses Detected
According to the NTSB’s research, there were 15,214 incidents in the past three years where planes were warned due to approaching helicopters. The Board’s Chair, Jennifer Homendy, emphasised that despite these statistics, adequate precautions had not been taken, stating, “We do not need to wait for tragedies to demand urgent action.”
US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy expressed his anger that the collision risk in Washington’s airspace had gone unnoticed for so long. Duffy criticised the FAA’s failure to adequately analyse risks, saying, “It angers me. The data was there, but it wasn’t effectively analysed.”
Possible Causes of the Accident
According to the preliminary investigation report, faulty altitude readings and communication issues may have caused the accident. It was noted that the helicopter crew might not have fully heard the instructions from air traffic controllers and that pilots may have missed information about runway changes.
Officials argue that the air traffic control system needs modernising to prevent similar incidents in US airspace. President Donald Trump highlighted that the current system is “outdated” and pledged to overhaul the air traffic control system.
While the final report on the accident may take some time to be released, it has been reported that the FAA is working on new regulations.
© AeroHaber.com / Mevlüt Zor
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