By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between a United Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter in California, the agency said on Thursday, in the latest incident between a passenger jet and a military aircraft.
The FAA said a United Boeing 737-800 jet on Tuesday at 8:40 p.m. was on final approach to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California when a Black Hawk crossed in front of the plane. Flightradar24, a flight tracking site, said the aircraft were 525 feet apart vertically. The FAA is also investigating whether the incident violated its new policy that bars visual separation for helicopters near major airports.
The California Army National Guard confirmed an Army National Guard helicopter, based at Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos, was returning to Los Alamitos airfield along 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 the appropriate agencies,” the National Guard said.
United said Flight 589, which had departed from San Francisco, had been advised by air traffic control to watch for a military helicopter flying near the airport. After seeing the helicopter and receiving a cockpit alert, pilots responded by leveling the aircraft, later landing safely.
The plane had 162 passengers and six crew.
Two U.S. House committees approved legislation on Thursday to address concerns about separation between helicopters and airplanes. The FAA approved a rule in March that also bans air traffic controllers from relying on “visual separation,” instead saying they must use radar to keep aircraft specific lateral or vertical distances apart.
The legislation and new FAA rules follow the January 2025 mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people near Reagan Washington National Airport.
The FAA cited two recent incidents in issuing the new rules. One was a near-miss between an American flight and a police helicopter, which were on converging courses near San Antonio’s airport when the helicopter made a left turn to avoid the American flight, the FAA said.
The second occurred on March 2, when a Beechcraft 99 was cleared to land at Burbank Airport in southern California as a helicopter was on its final approach path. The helicopter turned to avoid the Beechcraft.
After the 2025 collision, the FAA restricted helicopter traffic around Reagan Washington National Airport, and has imposed restrictions at other airports.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter, David Gregorio and David Gaffen)
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