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FAA is making the rules imposed after an airliner collided with an Army helicopter permanent

By The Associated Press
Boats and the U.S. Park Police helicopter search the Potomac River the morning after the mid-air collision and crash (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The temporary rules imposed after last year’s collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter to improve the safety of the crowded airspace around Washington D.C. are being made permanent, the government announced Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration took steps to make sure that helicopters and airplanes would no longer share the same airspace around Reagan National Airport shortly after the investigation into the Jan. 29 crash began. The rules also prohibit air traffic controllers from relying on visual separation and require all military aircraft to broadcast their locations.

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New FAA charts further limit where helicopters can fly over Arlington

By Dan Egitto
A helicopter in the sky over Arlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

New route charts from the Federal Aviation Administration further restrict helicopter traffic around Reagan National Airport, reducing where the aircraft can fly over Arlington.

The modified charts, published last week, shrink the zones in which helicopters can fly over Northern Virginia and D.C. when operating on authorized business such as medical or law enforcement missions. A portion of the zone in Arlington, which previously extended to Fort Myer in the east, has been pushed back to west of Glebe Road.

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Plane had to abandon landing after close brush with helicopter near DCA, NTSB says

By Jared Serre
Ronald Reagan National Airport (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A commercial airliner had to abandon its landing at Reagan National Airport after a U.S. Army helicopter began to ascend above the Pentagon earlier this year, officials say.

The two aircraft experienced a “loss of separation” around 2:30 p.m. on May 1, coming less than half a mile from each other, according to a preliminary report that the National Transportation Safety Board released on Friday.

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Pentagon lost contact with Army helicopter on flight that caused jets to nix landings at DCA

By The Associated Press
This image provided by the U.S. Army shows a screenshot of data from the Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast, or ADS-B, of the flight path of Army Black Hawk "PAT23" on a May 1, 2025, flight that led to air traffic controllers aborting the landings of two commercial jets. (U.S. Army via AP)

By TARA COPP Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on the flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings this month at a Washington airport, the Army told The Associated Press on Friday.

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Army helicopter flights suspended near DCA after more aborted airline landings

By Dan Egitto and The Associated Press
A Black Hawk helicopter flies near the Pentagon on Thursday (via Dave Statter/X)

Helicopters flying near Reagan National Airport caused flight diversions yesterday (Sunday) and Thursday.

The first incident involved an Army Black Hawk helicopter taking a “scenic route around the Pentagon,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It caused two commercial aircraft to cancel landings and has drawn the ire of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

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Rep. Beyer backs permanent air traffic changes near National Airport

By Dan Egitto
Reagan National Airport (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Arlington’s congressman is throwing his support behind permanent flight traffic changes at Reagan National Airport following January’s fatal midair crash.

In a Friday letter, Rep. Don Beyer (D) and nine other lawmakers supported ending helicopter operations along the Potomac River between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are in use.

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Will better safety around National Airport mean more helicopters over Arlington?

By Dan Egitto
Reagan National Airport (staff photo by James Jarvis)

As safety restrictions tighten around Reagan National Airport, Arlington’s congressman is pushing to ensure this doesn’t mean more aircraft noise over residential areas.

Following last month’s fatal midair collision between a military helicopter and a commercial jet, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced new guardrails on flights around the airport.

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Just-passed FAA bill has more DCA flights and D.C. area helicopter noise analysis

By ARLnow.com
A Delta flight at the gate at Reagan National Airport (staff photo)

More long-haul flights are coming to Reagan National Airport. And people annoyed by helicopter noise will continue to have their voice heard.

Those are two of the main local impacts from the FAA reauthorization bill just approved by Congress. The bill now awaits President Biden’s signature.

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UPDATED: Police investigating shooting in Green Valley

By ARLnow.com
Scene of shooting in Green Valley in December 2023 (courtesy Matthew Young)

A woman was shot this afternoon in the Green Valley neighborhood.

The shooting happened around 1 p.m., reportedly near the intersection of S. Kemper Road and S. Oxford Street. Photos taken afterward show a crime scene along nearby S. Four Mile Run Drive.

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NOW: Police searching for suspect after man with gun robs two people

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Police are investigating back-to-back reported armed robberies in the Arlington Mill neighborhood.

The robberies happened around 2:30 p.m. on the 800 block of S. Frederick Street. Initial reports suggest that a masked man with a semiautomatic handgun separately robbed two people of cash.

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Arlington to chip in about $15,000 for a helicopter noise complaint system

By Jo DeVoe
An Army helicopter flies over Boundary Channel near the Pentagon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington County and neighboring jurisdictions are taking over ownership of a complaint system for reporting noisy choppers.

That means residents can continue to report loud aircraft noise to the U.S. government as it works to lessen noise by raising helicopter altitudes and altering flight paths.

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NOW: Police searching for pursuit suspect near Air Force Memorial

By ARLnow.com
Police vehicles seen near the Air Force Memorial amid a search for a pursuit suspect

Virginia State Police, assisted by Arlington County police, are searching the area around the Air Force Memorial for a suspect who fled a pursuit and crash.

Initial reports suggest that state police gave chase to a suspect seen driving the wrong way in or near the Pentagon south parking lot. That suspect then crashed his vehicle at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Joyce Street, but fled on foot.

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