NTSB Calls for Permanent Helicopter Ban on Route Near DCA (1)

Helicopter traffic should be permanently banned near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during certain periods to alleviate congestion and avoid a repeat of the deadly midair collision that occurred there in January, the agency probing the accident recommended.

Specifically, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a press briefing that the agency is calling for a closure of Route 4 near the airport when certain runways are in use. Route 4 is the one that the US Army helicopter was using when it slammed into an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet over the Potomac River.

The briefing ...