A Black Hawk helicopter crossed the path of a United Airlines passenger jet as the plane was landing at John Wayne Airport in Orange County on Tuesday evening, federal officials said.
The near-miss occurred around 8:40 p.m. as United Airlines Flight 589, a Boeing 737 carrying 162 passengers and six crew members, was approaching the airport. A Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter, part of the California Air National Guard, crossed in front of the flight path, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Pilots received a resolution advisory, an automated alert to climb or descend to avoid a collision, and leveled the aircraft. The plane landed safely around 8:49 p.m. The helicopter was conducting a routine training mission and also landed safely, the California Air National Guard said.
The FAA is investigating whether a new measure to suspend visual separation between airplanes and helicopters was applied. Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation mandated that air traffic controllers rely on radar to manage aircraft flight paths.
The U.S. Army and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are also aware of the incident and coordinating with the FAA for further details. The NTSB did not have additional information to share at this time.
The incident occurred two days after a regional Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing two pilots and injuring dozens. Last year, a similar midair collision between an Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines jet near Washington, D.C., resulted in 67 fatalities.