U.S. authorities have put a ban on helicopter flights close to Reagan Washington National Airport following a deadly collision involving an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter. The accident occurred on Wednesday night and took 67 lives. The crash of the helicopter has recovered its black box, which will enable the investigators to understand the situation.
On Friday, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman confirmed that investigators had recovered the black box, which records flight data and cockpit conversations. The NTSB is working with air traffic controllers to gather more information. However, Inman emphasized that speculation on the cause would be avoided until the investigation is complete. His words were, “Our job is to find the facts, but more importantly, our job is to make sure this tragedy doesn’t happen again.”
The Federal Aviation Administration has restricted helicopters from flying near Reagan Airport to mitigate the risk of another collision. Only police, medical helicopters, air defense, and presidential transport are allowed in the restricted airspace. The measures would last until the NTSB issues a preliminary report after 30 days.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom vowed that his firm was collaborating with the government to try and ensure better safety in aviation. To this day, 41 bodies have been recovered, and the authorities continue in search for others. The accident happened when American Airlines plane was preparing to land and was in collision with a Black Hawk helicopter; it has raised concerns of air traffic safety and the lack of air traffic controllers at the busy airport.
The FAA is reportedly 3,000 controllers short of staffing targets, and on the day of the crash, only one controller was handling both plane and helicopter traffic at the airport. U.S. President Donald Trump commented that the Black Hawk helicopter was flying too high, well above the 200-foot limit for its route. Some lawmakers, including Senator Maria Cantwell, have questioned the safety of military and commercial flights operating in such close proximity.
Crash The crash has brought to light the congested space around Washington, D.C. with its numerous airports, military bases, and government flights. The crash has brought safety concerns onto the spotlight as the route taken by the helicopter was an alternate route. It resulted in the loss of the lives of young figure skaters on their way back from a camp where they had been training and citizens of other countries, including Russia, China, Germany, and the Philippines.
To recover from the crash, two of the three runways at Reagan National will be closed for a week, but the busiest one that accommodates around 90% of flights from the airport will be opened.
