FAA restricts helicopter flights near DCA airport after mid-air collision

An American Airlines aircraft takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as emergency workers continue to search the wreckage of the aircrafts that crashed into the Potomac River Wednesday night. An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to DCA airport. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption

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Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Federal authorities have restricted helicopter flights near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The move comes two days after a deadly collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter that killed 67 people.

The restrictions on helicopter routes along the Potomac River were confirmed by two FAA officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they don't want to get ahead of the ongoing investigation into why the collision occurred between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter.

The FAA officials say helicopter traffic near the airport — between the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the Key Bridge — would be restricted but not completely suspended. A source on Capitol Hill, speaking to NPR on condition of anonymity, said exceptions could be made for medical emergency flights and VIP movements.

The FAA says it's restricting helicopter flights along two busy corridors near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The move follows Wednesday's mid-air collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that was attempting to land at National Airport. FAA hide caption

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FAA

The restrictions come as investigators continue to pore over an area of the Potomac River where the two aircraft went down. Authorities say they have recovered the remains of 41 people who died in Wednesday's mid-air collision.

John Donnelly, the chief of Washington, D.C. Fire and EMS, says of the 41 victims, 28 have been positively identified. Sixty-four people were on the jet and three were on the helicopter. No one survived. This is the deadliest aircraft accident in the United States since 2001.
 
Two of the three runways remain closed at DCA as the investigation and recovery operations continue. About 100 flights were canceled Friday because of the reduced capacity.