The FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) reported this Thursday (26) that it is investigating a near collision between a United Airlines jet and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter in California, in the most recent incident involving a commercial aircraft and a military aircraft.
The FAA reported that a United Boeing 737-800, carrying 162 passengers and six crew members, was on final approach to John Wayne Airport, in Orange County, California, at 8:40 pm this Tuesday (24), when a Black Hawk crossed in front of the aircraft.
Flightradar24, a flight tracking website, reported that the aircraft were 160 meters apart vertically. The FAA is also investigating whether the incident violated the new policy prohibiting visual separation between helicopters near major airports.
The California Army National Guard confirmed that a National Guard helicopter based at Los Alamitos Joint Training Base was returning to Los Alamitos Airfield via an established visual flight rules route after a routine training mission and was in communication with air traffic control.
“A thorough review will be conducted in coordination with appropriate agencies,” the National Guard said.
United said Flight 589, which departed San Francisco, was warned by air traffic control to be alert for a military helicopter flying near the airport. After spotting the helicopter and receiving an alert on the flight deck, the pilots responded by leveling the aircraft and subsequently landing safely.
Two U.S. House of Representatives committees on Thursday approved legislation to address concerns about the separation between helicopters and planes.
The FAA in March approved a rule that also prohibits air traffic controllers from relying on “visual separation,” mandating that they use radar to maintain specific lateral or vertical distances between aircraft.
The legislation and new FAA rules follow the mid-air collision, which killed 67 people near Washington’s Reagan National Airport.
The FAA cited two recent accidents in issuing the new rules. One was a near collision between an American Airlines flight and a police helicopter, which were on converging trajectories near the San Antonio airport when the helicopter made a left turn to avoid the American flight, according to the FAA.
The second occurred on March 2, when a Beechcraft 99 was cleared to land at Burbank Airport in Southern California while a helicopter was on its final approach trajectory. The helicopter turned to avoid the Beechcraft.
After , the FAA restricted helicopter traffic around Reagan Washington National Airport and imposed restrictions at other airports.
