FAA Suspends Helicopter ATC Visual Separations

Air traffic controllers will apply radar to separate helicopters and fixed-wing traffic near busy airports, the FAA said on March 18.

The agency issued a general notice that suspends controllers’ use of visual separations to guide helicopters transiting the arrival or departure paths of airplanes in Class B and C airspace surrounding the busiest U.S. airports.

The air traffic control (ATC) procedural change also applies to Terminal Radar Service Areas (TRSA) surrounding airports with control towers and high levels of traffic. TRSA radar services previously were optional for pilots flying under visual flight rules.

The “upgraded” safety protocol is based on a year-long review of cross-traffic data and incident reports that utilized AI-based software tools, the FAA said. The agency initiated the review after the January 2025 midair collision of a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter and an American Eagle CRJ700 airliner near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) that killed 67 people on board both aircraft.

“Following the mid-air collision near DCA, we looked at similar operations across the national airspace,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “We identified an overreliance on pilot ‘see and avoid’ operations that contribute to safety events involving helicopters and airplanes.”

In its announcement, the FAA called out two recent airspace conflicts involving helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

On March 2, a Beechcraft 99 twin-engine turboprop that had been cleared to land at Hollywood Burbank Airport in California conflicted with a helicopter flying through the final approach path.

The aircraft were on converging courses when the helicopter made a right-hand turn to avoid the Beechcraft, the FAA said.

On Feb. 27, an American Airlines Airbus A320 was cleared to land at San Antonio International Airport in Texas when a police helicopter was flying through the final approach path. The helicopter made a left-hand turn to avoid the airliner.

Visual separation occurs when controllers advise pilots about nearby aircraft and allow them to remain visually clear of the other aircraft. Now, when helicopters or powered-lift aircraft cross arrival or departure paths near busy airports, controllers will use radar to separate them at specific lateral or vertical distances.

The FAA advised that helicopter operators who are accustomed to receiving immediate approval to transit through certain areas “may have to adjust their flight routes or be delayed” while controllers keep them separate from other aircraft.

When helicopter pilots conducting urgent medical or law enforcement missions request to fly through heavy-traffic areas, “airline operations to those airports may be disrupted in order to allow these missions priority clearance,” the agency said.