Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
A review of “hotspot” airports across the United States in the aftermath of a fatal Jan. 29 midair collision near Washington has prompted changes not only around Washington but also near another major airport and the continuing examination of other facilities, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says.
The collision over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed all 64 passengers and crew on American Airlines Flight 5342 (a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries RJ Aviation CRJ700) and all three crewmembers on the U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk. The FAA subsequently restricted nonessential helicopter operations around the airport and closed a nearby helicopter route, along with several related actions.
The crash also prompted the FAA’s review of other U.S. airports with charted helicopter routes located near airspace crowded with arriving and departing airplanes.
A…
