Following the deadly midair collision at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) in January, federal officials have discovered similar safety issues at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed on Tuesday that a national review of air traffic safety protocols, prompted by the January crash, uncovered concerns at LAS that mirror the problems that contributed to the D.C. collision.
The issues in Las Vegas involve potential conflicts between helicopters and airplanes—the same types of aircraft that collided in D.C., resulting in 67 deaths. Helicopter tours are popular in Las Vegas, with both helicopters and airplanes operating from the airport.
The FAA noted that one major problem at LAS is that air traffic controllers do not issue traffic advisories for helicopters returning from tours and airplanes arriving or departing. This oversight leads to regular violations of Class B separation rules, which require a minimum of 500 feet of vertical separation and 1.5 miles of lateral separation between aircraft.
In response, the FAA has already implemented changes to improve safety at LAS. Within three weeks, reports of potential collisions decreased by 30%. The FAA’s changes include issuing more traffic advisories for pilots and increasing active radar monitoring of helicopter traffic, known as positive control.
The FAA also plans further updates to the safety protocols at LAS in the future. As part of its ongoing review, the agency is examining other airports with high air traffic, particularly those where helicopters and planes share airspace. The FAA is using artificial intelligence and data modeling tools to analyze safety incident reports and spot potential risk areas.
The agency has also focused on Hollywood Burbank and Van Nuys airports in the Los Angeles area, where, although helicopters are less common, there are concerning patterns. The two airports are located less than 10 miles apart and have closely spaced arrival and departure paths, making the airspace more complex.
As the FAA continues its safety review, officials emphasize they will take swift action to address airspace safety issues as they are identified.
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