FAA to review airports with high nearby helicopter, airplane traffic

FILE PHOTO: A barge carrying a crane move parts of the wreckage from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it has begun reviewing airports with high volumes of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic nearby after a fatal collision last week near Reagan National Airport in Washington.

In the aftermath of the crash between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, the FAA has imposed significant restrictions on helicopter flights around Reagan National until at least late February, and two of the airport's lesser-used runways remain closed.