The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is getting rid of several helicopter routes following the deadly air disaster near DCA, aiming to prevent another mid-air collision. These adjustments follow urgent recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). What changes were made? The FAA has removed helicopter routes 4 and 6 from the area around DCA and revised Route 7 to extend west of the airport. These changes are aimed at preventing future mid-air conflicts between helicopters and airplanes. Between 2011 and 2024, the NTSB found that at least one Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alert was triggered per month due to helicopters flying too close to airplanes. In more than half of these cases, helicopters were flying higher than their designated altitude limits, increasing the risk of dangerous encounters.