New Rules Imposed After Last Year’s Deadly Midair Collision Will Be Made Permanent

Temporary restrictions imposed last year on helicopters and powered-lift aircraft operating around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will become permanent outside of “essential operations,” the Department of Transportation announced on Jan. 22. The rules were formalized after an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 over the Potomac River on Jan. 29, 2025, killing all 67 people onboard both aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented the restrictions to increase safety and prevent helicopters from sharing the congested airspace around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The rules require all military aircraft to broadcast their locations during flight and prevent air traffic controllers from relying on visual separation, a practice where controllers allow pilots to maintain separation from other aircraft with visual sight instead of radar markers....