The air traffic control at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is pictured, within the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River, as seen from Virginia on Jan. 30, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration will restrict helicopter traffic around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., after the fatal collision of Army Black Hawk helicopter with an American Airlines jetliner earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday.
“Today’s decision will immediately help secure the airspace near Reagan Airport, ensuring the protection of airplane and helicopter traffic,” Duffy said in a post on social media site X. “The American people deserve full confidence in our aviation system and today’s motion is a big step towards restoring that trust.”
The restricted area includes Memorial Bridge to South Capitol Street Bridge, excluding the Tidal Basin; Haines Point to Wilson Bridge; and the airspace above the airport, Duffy said within the post.
National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said at a briefing Thursday afternoon that helicopters operate in zones, or tracks, in Washington. “This one was transitioning from track one to 4 as a part of their normal procedure,” he said. “If you happen to live in D.C., you see a whole lot of helicopters happening into this area. So there is a very well-defined system.”
American Eagle Flight 5342 was seconds away from landing at Reagan National Airport when it collided with the Army helicopter on Wednesday night. All 64 people on board the plane and all three people on the helicopter died. It was the primary deadly industrial airline crash within the U.S. in greater than 15 years and the deadliest since 2001.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said Thursday that it was not clear “why the military aircraft got here into the trail” of its aircraft. On Friday, Isom thanked President Donald Trump “for his leadership on aviation safety. I applaud him, Secretary Duffy and the Administration for taking quick and decisive motion today to limit helicopter activity around DCA.”
Investigators on Friday continued their investigation, taking a look at elements comparable to the altitude of the aircraft, staffing and communication with air traffic controllers.
The American Airlines plane, a regional CRJ700 that was arriving from Wichita, Kansas, was flying at about 300 feet on its final approach when it collided with the Black Hawk.
In keeping with FAA rules, helicopters, which routinely cross through and around Washington, between military bases, the Pentagon and other locations, must fly in the world near the airport at a maximum of 200 feet.
