New FAA rule targets risky 'see and avoid' flight practice

• The FAA will now require air traffic controllers to use radar to separate planes and helicopters near airports.
• This new rule replaces the previous reliance on pilots using visual separation, known as "see and avoid."
• The change follows a fatal 2025 mid-air collision near Reagan National Airport and thousands of other reported near misses.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced a new rule that will require air traffic controllers to use radar to separate airplane and helicopter traffic near major airport arrival and departure tracks.

Until now, controllers have largely relied on pilots to use visual separation.

“Today, we are proactively mitigating risks before they affect the traveling public,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “Following the mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), we looked at similar operations across the national airspace. We identified an overreliance on pilot ‘see and avoid’ operations that contribute to safety events involving helicopters and airplanes.”

Under the new regulations, controllers will have to use radar to keep aircraft separated at a designated vertical or lateral distance, but they will have the authority to issue other clearances on a case-by-case basis in emergencies.

Tragedy prompted change

The new rule comes as regulators continue to grapple with the fallout from the January 2025 collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet over the Potomac River.

The crash killed 67 people and was caused by a number of factors, including loss of separation between the helicopter and the plane.

In its final report on the incident, the National Transportation Safety Board said the U.S. air traffic system has an "overreliance on visual separation in order to promote efficient traffic flow without consideration for the limitations of the see-and-avoid concept."

How were controllers looking out for helicopters?

See-and-avoid, as the name suggests, is a practice by which pilots use their own visual observations of their surroundings to identify obstacles and fly away from hazards. At high speeds, see-and-avoid flying can carry significant risks.

Visual flight rules also rely on pilots communicating their positions and intentions with air traffic controllers more actively.

The NTSB recommended that the FAA develop more robust training around how and when visual separation should be applied, but stopped short of recommending the complete elimination of the practice.

"This training should include information on the inherent limitations of see and avoid, responsibilities when applying visual separation, and guidance for controllers on factors, such as current traffic volume, workload, weather or environmental factors, experience, and staffing, that should be considered when applying visual separation," the recommendation said.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents air traffic controllers, acknowledged the change but did not comment on how it would affect its members' workload.

"NATCA has been notified by the Federal Aviation Administration of the change to visual separation procedures. As with all procedural changes, certified professional controllers and other aviation safety personnel will follow the guidelines," the organization told USA TODAY in a statement.

Was this a big issue?

In announcing the new rule, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that near misses between helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft at airports have persisted, even after the January 2025 crash.

Between 2021 and 2024, there were more than 15,000 reported incidents of planes and helicopters getting dangerously close in flight.

Such an incident occurred again as recently as Feb. 27, 2026, according to the DOT.

"American Airlines Flight 1657 was cleared to land at San Antonio International Airport in Texas when a police helicopter was flying through the airport’s final approach path," a press release from the agency said. "The helicopter and aircraft were on converging courses when the helicopter made a left-hand turn to avoid the American Airlines flight."

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York, and you can reach him at [email protected].