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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating after a close call Tuesday night between a United Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.
United Airlines flight 589 was on its final approach to John Wayne Airport when a Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter crossed in front of its flight path at about 8:40 p.m., according to the FAA.
A United Airlines spokesperson told Fox News that the Boeing 737-800’s pilots were advised by air traffic control to “watch for a military helicopter flying near the airport.”
“They saw the helicopter and also received a traffic alert, which they responded to by leveling the aircraft,” the spokesperson said. “The United flight then landed safely.”
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“Leveling” an aircraft refers to slowing or stopping descent and holding a constant altitude to increase vertical separation.
The airline confirmed 162 passengers and six crew members were on board the plane and did not report any injuries.
Air traffic control audio obtained by the New York Post indicated the United flight got close enough to the Black Hawk to set off an anti-collision warning, or “resolution advisory,” from its traffic avoidance system.
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The alert suggests a potential crash was only seconds away.
“United 589, just want to clarify here, did you get, uh … just a traffic call reference to the helicopter or did they restrict your altitude or anything,” the controller reportedly asked the United flight.
“We had a resolution advisory for United 589, RA,” a pilot replied.
“We’re gonna be addressing that because that was not good,” the controller said.
The U.S. Army did not immediately respond to additional inquiries about the incident from Fox News Digital.
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The FAA said Thursday it is investigating whether a new measure was applied, which suspends the use of visual separation between planes and helicopters.
That measure, enacted after a review after last year’s deadly crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), was announced March 18.
“The general notice (GENOT), which suspends the use of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters, now mandates that air traffic controllers will instead use radar to actively manage these aircraft to keep them separated at specific lateral or vertical distances,” according to the FAA website.
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On Jan. 29, 2025, an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines passenger plane near DCA, killing all 64 people on the commercial flight and three aboard the military helicopter.
Tuesday’s incident occurred just days after an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck on a runway at New York City’s LaGuardia airport, killing both pilots on board.
Fox News’ Terence Kenny and Jullia Bonavita contributed to this report.
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