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Crash between traveler jet and Army helicopter highlights Washington DC airspace difficulties

The crash of an American Airlines guest jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday highlighted concerns around the overloaded airspace shared by civilian and military aircraft over the U.S. capital.

Military helicopters are a common sight in the Washington area that is home to various military bases.

Over a three-year duration ending in 2019, there were 88,000 helicopter flights within 30 miles (48 km) of Reagan National Airport, including about 33,000 military and 18,000 law enforcement flights, the Federal government Accountability Office said in a 2021 report.

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference on Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration would take suitable action if needed to customize flight paths to guarantee adequate separation in between civilian aircrafts and military helicopters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated an examination had been released by the Army and Defense Department.

There have been numerous near-miss events at Reagan National Airport that have actually stimulated alarm, consisting of a. near-collision in May 2024 in between an American Airlines jet and. a little airplane and one in April 2024 in between Southwest and. JetBlue airplanes.

A scarcity of air traffic controllers has actually delayed flights. and raised security issues across the United States. The FAA in. October opened an audit into runway attack dangers at the 45. busiest U.S. airports after a series of near-miss occurrences.

The Washington area has three major airports, but Reagan. National is closest to the capital. Because of the brief length. of its runways, over 90% of flights use its primary runway, making. it the busiest in the U.S., with over 800 daily departures and. landings.

That successfully means a launch or landing every minute. throughout much of the day. Reagan is the 24th-busiest U.S. airport. by passengers. Congress in 2015 approved 5 brand-new roundtrip. flights to Washington.

Senator Jerry Moran, who heads a Senate aviation. subcommittee, informed Reuters the immediate focus was on attempting to. save lives however that after the objective was over, Congress would. examine what failed.

Then we're going to discover what happened, Moran stated.

(source: Reuters)