The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States announced on Sunday (November 2) that it will send an investigation team to Cleveland International Airport (CLE) in Ohio to look into the near collision incident between a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft and a medical helicopter.
According to the NTSB, Southwest Airlines Flight 1333 took off from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) on October 29 bound for Cleveland, and during the landing process, it came close to a helicopter in the air, with the distance between the two aircraft falling below the mandated minimum safety separation.
Fortunately, the Southwest Airlines pilot immediately aborted the landing, changed course, and safely landed shortly afterwards.
Southwest Airlines released a statement on Sunday saying, “We appreciate the professionalism displayed by the crew during this incident. We have been in contact with the National Transportation Safety Board and are fully cooperating with the investigation.” Southwest Airlines did not disclose the number of passengers on board.
At the time of the incident, the helicopter’s notification or identification indicated that it may have been transporting a patient. The medical transport company involved has not responded to media requests for comments.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 stated that air traffic control communications and flight tracking data showed that in the Cleveland incident, the Southwest Airlines aircraft was forced to deviate from its course to avoid an Airbus helicopter from a European company flying ahead. The website noted that at the time, both aircraft were at an altitude of 2,075 feet (632 meters) and at one point were only 0.56 miles (about 0.9 kilometers) apart.
According to the recordings released by Flightradar24, an air traffic controller requested the medical helicopter to fly behind other flights near the airport, but the helicopter pilot responded, “It would be better if we could fly over the top and pass ahead.” The controller subsequently agreed to this suggestion.
The Southwest Airlines pilot reported in a submission to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that this was an “extremely close” incident that required immediate action to avoid a collision.
On January 29, 2025, a regional aircraft belonging to a US airline collided with a US Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on the outskirts of Washington, DC, resulting in 67 fatalities.
The FAA was later criticized by members of Congress and investigators for failing to take timely action despite receiving multiple reports of near-collision incidents.
Last month, the FAA announced that to prevent such incidents from recurring, helicopter routes near Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Dulles International Airport (IAD) will be adjusted, and safety buffer zones will be added.
In May of this year, the FAA prohibited Army helicopters from flying near the Pentagon following a near-collision incident.
Since 2021, there have been over 15,000 proximity incidents between commercial aircraft and helicopters near Reagan Airport, with 85 classified as dangerously close near-collision events.
(This article references a report by Reuters)