FAA Overhauls Helicopter Safety Rules Near Major Airports

The FAA has issued new rules governing how airplanes and helicopters operate while close by—a major focus for aviation regulators since the fatal collision of an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C., last year.

A general notice announced Wednesday suspends the use of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters in Class B and Class C airspace, and Terminal Radar Service Areas (TRSAs). Class B airspace surrounds some of the largest and busiest airports in the U.S., while Class C airspace generally covers medium-sized airports.

Air traffic controllers (ATCs) will now be required to use radar to actively manage airplanes and helicopters and keep them separated at specific lateral or vertical distances.

The U.S. Department of Transportation cautioned that, with more hands-on oversight and prioritization, operators may face new or more frequent restrictions.

“Many helicopter operators who are used to obtaining immediate approval to transit through certain areas may have to adjust their flight routes or be delayed while controllers ensure they maintain safe distance from other aircraft,” the DOT said. “When helicopter pilots, conducting urgent medical or LEO missions, request to fly through these heavy-traffic areas, airline operations to those airports may be disrupted in order to allow these missions priority clearance.”

The changes follow a yearlong review by the FAA’s safety team.

“We are proactively mitigating risks before they affect the traveling public,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “Following the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), we looked at similar operations across the national airspace. We identified an overreliance on pilot ‘see and avoid’ operations that contribute to safety events involving helicopters and airplanes.”

The FAA highlighted two more recent examples where visual separation was not enough to avoid a close call.

In February, an American Airlines aircraft and a police helicopter ended up on converging paths near San Antonio International Airport (KSAT) in Texas. The helicopter made a left-hand turn to avoid the passenger jet, the agency said.

Earlier this month, a Beechcraft 99 cleared to land at Hollywood Burbank Airport (KBUR) in California conflicted with a helicopter that was flying through the final approach path. The helicopter made a right-hand turn to avoid the Beechcraft.

The FAA has already moved to restrict helicopter operations around Reagan National in Virginia. Use of visual separation for mixed traffic around the airport was suspended in February 2025. The agency has also eliminated a problematic helicopter route in the area and reworked helicopter zones at Reagan, Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD) in Virginia, and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (KBWI) in Maryland.

In its report on the D.C. midair collision, the National Transportation Safety Board cited overreliance on visual separation at Reagan as one of many factors that contributed to the disaster.