Aviation professionals have warned for decades about the dangers of close encounters between aeroplanes and helicopters at Reagan National Airport (DCA), with at least 15 reported near-miss incidents since 1991.
Some of these warnings, including concerns about runway 33, eerily mirror last week’s tragic collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter, which killed 67 people.
Pilots and air traffic controllers have repeatedly called DCA’s airspace “an accident waiting to happen,” citing unpredictable helicopter traffic along the Potomac River and frequent last-minute runway changes. Despite past reports urging better separation between aircraft, the FAA has largely treated these risks as routine.
In response to the recent crash, the FAA has temporarily restricted helicopter traffic over the river and pledged to review the airspace after the NTSB’s preliminary findings. Experts warn that without fundamental changes, similar tragedies could happen again.
