Kansas Senator Jerry Moran and Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth have sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, calling for continued restrictions on non-essential helicopter flights near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
The letter follows the January 29th mid-air collision of An Army helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342 from Wichita, killing 64 people on the flight and three soldiers in the helicopter. The American Airlines flight was making a landing approach when the collision occurred.
In the letter, Senators Moran and Duckworth asked for the restrictions to continue “until the completion of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report and a briefing by FAA to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, regarding the safety of resuming non-essential helicopter operations. Until investigators complete this work, restricting helicopter operations, while allowing for essential medical support, active law enforcement, active air defense, and presidential transport traffic will help keep the area safe and improve public trust in commercial air travel.”
The letter goes on to say that the crash “is a tragic event which requires a thorough evaluation of air traffic in the vicinity of airport. As the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, we intend to conduct a subcommittee review into the January 29th tragedy by examining the facts and expert findings to determine whether policy changes may be necessary to increase safety and improve public trust.”
