FAA finds safety concerns at Las Vegas airport in review spurred by
midair collision in Washington
[April 23, 2025]
By JOSH FUNK and HALLIE GOLDEN
A federal review of helicopter safety around some of the busiest U.S.
airports, prompted by the deadly midair collision in January between a
passenger jet and Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., revealed
dangerous flying conditions at the Las Vegas airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday the potential for a
collision between air tour helicopters and planes at Harry Reid
International Airport led the agency to make immediate changes to flying
rules. In the first three weeks after implementation the number of
collision alerts for planes dropped 30%.
The FAA said after the collision between an American Airlines jet and an
Army Black Hawk helicopter in January, which killed 67 people, that it
planned to use artificial intelligence to dig into the millions of
reports it collects to assess other places with busy helicopter traffic,
including Boston, New York, Baltimore-Washington, Detroit, Chicago,
Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and along the Gulf Coast.
The FAA’s acting administrator, Chris Rocheleau, said Las Vegas quickly
became a concern once the agency dug into the data because agreements
with helicopter operators there didn’t clearly define vertical and
lateral separation requirements when helicopters were approaching the
airport. And air traffic controllers in the tower weren’t issuing
traffic advisories between returning helicopters and airplanes.
“We took quick action including exercising positive control over the
helicopters and issuing more traffic advisories to pilots,” Rocheleau
said. He promised to take additional actions in Las Vegas and at other
airports where the FAA identifies concerns.
Luke Nimmo, a spokesperson for Clark County Department of Aviation,
referred all questions about the findings to the FAA.
Following the crash of a New York City sightseeing helicopter into the
Hudson River that killed six people April 10, the FAA said it was
establishing a rulemaking committee to develop recommendations for
improving commercial air tour safety.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former National Transportation Safety Board and FAA
accident investigator, said the fact that collision alerts for planes
dropped so quickly “indicates a real hazard existed before the FAA
looked at this.”
“It’s tough to characterize how significant the hazard was," he said.
“But it’s yet another hole in the Swiss cheese that can line up with
other holes and cause an accident just like what happened in Washington,
D.C.”
He said it made sense that the FAA first addressed the Las Vegas
airport, given its large mix of helicopters and commercial traffic.
“I think that they will find issues at other airports, but maybe not to
the degree that they found with this one,” Guzzetti added.
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Delta Air Lines flight lands at Harry Reid International Airport,
Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Former NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said there have long been safety
issues with the helicopter tour industry, describing it as slipping
in many cases into “becoming an attraction rather than a safe ride.”
“Unfortunately in aviation, it is accidents that bring the attention
of the regulators to their responsibilities," he added.
The January midair collision near Washington's Ronald Reagan
National Airport was the deadliest aviation disaster in the United
States since 2001. A series of other crashes and near misses in the
months since have raised worries about air travel, even though it
remains safe overall.
Helicopters have been a key concern, but Rocheleau said the core
safety issues remain operations and maintenance problems. He said
the top causes of helicopter accidents include loss of control and
striking an object during low-altitude operations.
The FAA said its review of the safety data has expanded beyond
helicopters to look at airports with a mix of many different planes
and airports that are close together.
The proximity between Hollywood Burbank Airport and Van Nuys Airport
in the Los Angeles area emerged as a concern because they are less
than 10 miles (16 kilometers) apart. Both airports serve a wide mix
of aircraft and have arrival and departure paths that are close.
A spokesperson for the Hollywood Burbank Airport referred questions
to the FAA. The Van Nuys Airport didn't immediately respond to an
email requesting comment.
“While flying remains the safest mode of transportation, we must
always strive to do better,” Rocheleau said. “We have to identify
trends and get smarter about how we use data. And when we put
corrective actions in place, we must execute them.”
Aviation lawyer Robert Clifford, who represents several families of
victims of the D.C. plane crash, praised the FAA for taking action
to make helicopter flights safer.
“As a frequent critic of the FAA, I must say that the FAA deserves
recognition for taking these steps to protect the traveling public,"
he said. "Helicopters are known for being the most dangerous and
potentially unsafe aircraft. The extra vigilance by the FAA may save
many lives.”
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