An American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington DC (Image: Getty)
Officials could be forced into making changes at airports after an in left 67 passengers dead, a former told the Daily Express.
An American Airlines plane from Kansas, carrying 64 people, collided with a military helicopter with three personnel inside in Washington DC on Wednesday.
The aircraft landed in the freezing water of the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport.
An investigation into the crash is already underway.
Now, former easyJet pilot and author of the book , Emma Henderson MBE, has said that, since yesterday, it has been noticed by operating pilots that “more care has been taken” in the UK.
She also suggested that the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority will be reviewing its procedures in the wake of , which could result in some alterations.
Captain Henderson told : “When something like this happens, the aviation industry moves fast to do everything it can to learn lessons and make sure it can’t happen again.
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Captain Emma Henderson used to fly easyJet planes (Image: Captain Emma Henderson)
“The UK CAA [Civil Aviation Authority], like everywhere else, will already be reviewing its procedures to make sure there are no ‘holes in the Swiss cheese’ and I think we could see some changes as a result.
“For example I think it will be harder for non-commercial VFR traffic to operate in the vicinity of busy commercial airports, certainly in the interim until we find out exactly what happened and why.”
On what sort of alterations we could see, Captain Henderson said there could be more restrictions for light aircraft around airports, and potentially even changes in airspace categories.
She added: “Currently it is possible to fly quite close to airports in airspace that doesn’t require traffic separation so that’s something that I think will be seriously looked at.
“Already there has been a noticeable extra vigilance around airports by air traffic control providing a separation service and being really cautious to make sure visual contact is made with the correct aircraft – this will continue for some time until we have more facts I think.”
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Captain Henderson, who is now after founding the , added that this includes all the major London airports, including Gatwick and Luton, and they are controlled by air traffic control (ATC), just like fixed wing aircraft.
She does not think a similar tragedy could happen in the UK. Captain Henderson added: “Helicopters fly near all airports all over the world. They can land in fields but they usually take off and land from designated areas of airports or smaller airfields nearby.
“Helicopters also fly all over London, for example – police helicopters, medical helicopters and military helicopters.”
Captain Henderson added: “I don’t believe there is a possibility of a crash like the one we have seen in DC happening in the UK although you can never say these things with 100% certainty because of the nature of what we are talking about – machines operated in relatively close proximity.
“However, the airspace in DC is much more congested than it is here, even though it is busy here, and UK ATC is widely regarded as being one of if not the best in the world.”
Passengers’ bodies are being recovered after the crash (Image: Getty)
Captain Henderson says ‘more care’ is being taken (Image: Susan Heaton)
The UK uses routes to support the safe transit of helicopters through sometimes busy and complex airspace. Most notably, this includes London helicopter routes.
The way in which these routes are designed and managed ensures that the transiting helicopter and any commercial aircraft arriving and departing from airports are safely separated and do not interact, it is understood.
In exceptions where these interactions are required, such as when a helicopter needs to transit past an airport, robust procedures are employed by the airport and pilots to ensure all aircraft are safely separated.
This is supported by strict safety management systems employed by the nearby airports and by the CAA. Ongoing safety data is carefully reviewed to ensure the overall safety of UK airspace.
Reports have suggested that air traffic facilities at Reagan National Airport have been suffering from staff shortages. A report last year found that the airport had only 19 certified controllers in 2023.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) target was 30. President yesterday suggested that yesterday’s crash could have been caused at least in part by diversity hiring policies.
It has also been reported that one air traffic controller was on shift at the time of the Washington DC crash after another member of staff was allegedly allowed to leave the shift early.
The Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO) represents the interests and opinions of those in the air traffic management profession.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “GATCO expresses its support to everybody impacted by the tragedy in Washington.
A plane collided with a military helicopter (Image: Getty)
“It is not helpful to speculate at this time upon the circumstances surrounding the incident and GATCO rejects the unsubstantiated claims made regarding the abilities of the Air Traffic Controllers involved.
“The investigation, conducted by independent professional experts, will release reports in due course.”
A spokesperson for the CAA said: “There is an ongoing investigation into the incident by US authorities and it will be inappropriate for us to provide a running commentary.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with those who have been affected by the incident, and we are monitoring the investigation into the accident and will not hesitate to implement any changes if applicable and appropriate to civil aviation in the UK.
“The UK aviation sector is renowned for being among the safest in the world, and we work to uphold the highest safety standards in airports, airlines and manufacturers.”