Helicopter route permanently closed after fatal Washington DC crash

The FAA manages the nation’s airspace and oversees aviation safety (AP)

Helicopters will be permanently restricted from flying near Washington DC’s airport on the same route where a passenger plane and an Army helicopter collided in mid-air, killing 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The move comes just days after federal investigators looking into the cause of the crash recommended a ban on some helicopter flights, saying a string of near misses in recent years showed that the current set-up “poses an intolerable risk”.