FAA rules made permanent after D.C. crash
The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it is making permanent the temporary safety rules adopted after an airliner collided with an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport.
The FAA said the temporary measures were put in place after the investigation began following the Jan. 29 crash, when officials moved to change how helicopters and airplanes use the airspace around Washington, D.C.
The new permanent rule continues the FAA’s approach of ensuring helicopters and airplanes would no longer share the same airspace around Reagan National Airport, the agency said.
The FAA also said the rule continues to require military aircraft to broadcast their locations using their ADS-B Out systems, which the FAA said was routinely not being done before the crash.
Under the rule, air traffic controllers are not allowed to rely on visual separation and are also barred from relying on pilots to ensure visual separation between aircraft within five miles of Reagan airport, the FAA said.
NTSB hearing scheduled
The National Transportation Safety Board plans to hold a hearing next Tuesday to detail what contributed to the deadliest plane crash on American soil since 2001.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the government response was meant to prevent a similar tragedy from recurring, saying: “After that horrific night in January, this administration made a promise to do whatever it takes to secure the skies over our nation’s capital and ensure such a tragedy would never happen again. Today’s announcement reaffirms that commitment,” according to the FAA-linked comments reported by the Associated Press.
Families press for action as final rule takes effect Friday
Families of the 67 people who died in the crash involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter striking an American Airlines jet hope Duffy and Congress will act on recommendations the NTSB is expected to make next week.
Matt Collins, whose younger brother Chris died in the disaster, said he and many of the other families plan to keep going to Washington so often that lawmakers will get sick of seeing them until changes are made. Collins, who lives in Dighton, Massachusetts, added: “I hope to have some hearings done in the Senate and Congress, and I hope results come out of these hearings that they have,” and he said he hopes the issue does not fade until another major news event.
The FAA said the new final rule will take effect on Friday.
What NTSB said about the crash
The NTSB has said the Black Hawk helicopter was flying 78 feet (24 meters) higher than a 200-foot (61-meter) limit on the route and likely had a faulty altimeter. The board also said that even if the helicopter had been adhering to the limit, the route design did not provide nearly enough separation to ensure safety.
The AP report also said air traffic controllers had warned the FAA years beforehand about dangers involving helicopters around the nation’s capital and that the agency failed to recognize an alarming pattern of 85 near misses in the three years before the crash.
Collins on flying since the crash
Collins said he still flies often for work and pleasure, but he said his parents haven’t boarded a plane since the crash. He said: “I still think flying is probably the safest mode of transportation, but I think it could be a heck of a lot safer,” according to the AP report.
The AP report also said many of those who died on the flight were young figure skaters, along with their parents and coaches, who had just attended a development camp in Wichita, Kansas, after the U.S. figure skating championships were held there.