It took the Trump administration six weeks, but, finally, the FAA has ordered the closure of the helicopter route that runs past Reagan National Airport.
Route 4 is the chopper route that an Army Black Hawk helicopter was flying on the evening of Jan. 29 when it collided with American Airlines Flight 5342, killing 67 people.
The collision followed a number of recent near misses between planes and helicopters, creating what the National Transportation Safety Board – which earlier this week recommended closure of the route – called “an intolerable risk.”
“Permanently closing this route to non-essential helicopter traffic is the right call,” said Northern Virginia Congressman Don Beyer, who represents the congressional district that includes Reagan National.
“My regional colleagues and I sought long-term restrictions on helicopter traffic in the days following the tragic accident in January, and the closure of Route 4 and the other steps announced by FAA will make the airspace around DCA safer for passengers and residents,” Beyer said.
“I thank Secretary Duffy and our other federal partners for acting so quickly on the NTSB’s recommendation, and will follow up with them soon on additional potential steps to respond to this accident and the preliminary NTSB report as FAA evaluates alternate helicopter routes in the National Capital Region for redirected helicopter flights,” Beyer said.
Quickly, right.
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Chris Graham
