Federal investigators looking for the cause of the January collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people recommended a ban on some helicopter flights Tuesday to improve safety.
A military helicopter collided with the American Airlines jet as it was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport over the Potomac River on Jan. 29. Among the victims were 28 members of the figure skating community.
National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said that under the current practice helicopters and planes can be as close as 75 feet apart from each other during landing. She said investigators have identified 15,214 instances of planes getting alerts about helicopters being in close proximity between October 2021 and December 2024.
