A United Airlines Boeing 737-800 and an Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter were involved in a near miss over Southern California last week, coming within 525 feet vertically and less than a quarter-mile laterally. The close call occurred just six days after the FAA issued a nationwide policy change designed to prevent exactly that kind of incident.
The near miss occurred around 8:40 p.m. on March 24 as United Flight 589, carrying 168 people from San Francisco, was on final approach to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. A Sikorsky Black Hawk, call sign KNIFE25, crossed in front of the aircraft’s flight path.
The Near Miss: TCAS Fires, Crew Levels Off
The 737’s Traffic Collision Avoidance System issued a Resolution Advisory — the most serious anti-collision alert pilots can receive, demanding immediate action. The crew responded by leveling off, arresting the descent until the helicopter cleared the approach corridor.
Both aircraft landed safely. No injuries were reported among the 162 passengers, six crew members, and the Black Hawk’s crew.
Air traffic control audio, obtained by the New York Post, captured the exchange that followed. A controller asked the United crew whether they had received a traffic call or an altitude restriction. The pilot confirmed the resolution advisory. The controller’s response was blunt: “We’re gonna be addressing that because that was not good.”
According to Flightradar24’s flight tracking data, the minimum separation between the two aircraft was 525 feet vertically and 1,422 feet laterally — well inside the standard radar separation minimums of 1,000 feet vertically or three nautical miles laterally.
Six Days After the New Rule
The timing is difficult to overlook. On March 18, the FAA issued a General Notice — known as a GENOT — suspending the use of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters across more than 150 busy U.S. airports with Class B, Class C, and Terminal Radar Service Area airspace.
Under the old practice, controllers could delegate responsibility to pilots who had the other aircraft in sight, allowing aircraft to operate closer than standard radar separation limits. The GENOT eliminated that option for helicopter-airplane conflicts, requiring controllers to actively manage radar separation at all times.
The FAA said Thursday it is investigating the John Wayne incident specifically to determine “whether a new measure to suspend the use of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters was applied.”
In other words: investigators want to know whether a controller may have used the procedure that was no longer permitted.
Background: A Rule Born from Catastrophe
The GENOT was the direct result of a systemic review triggered by the Jan. 29, 2025, midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001. An American Airlines regional jet operated by PSA Airlines and an Army Black Hawk collided over the Potomac River, killing all 67 people aboard.
The NTSB determined the probable cause involved a series of systemic FAA failures and concluded the crash was 100 percent preventable. Visual separation had been approved twice on the night of the collision; investigators later concluded the Black Hawk crew likely never acquired the regional jet visually.
The nationwide policy change was meant to remove any ambiguity: in busy terminal airspace where helicopter routes cross commercial approach and departure paths, radar separation is mandatory.
Military Mission, Established Route
The California National Guard confirmed the Black Hawk was conducting a routine training mission and was returning to Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos “along an established Visual Flight Rules route at an assigned altitude while in communication with air traffic control.”
The Guard said it would conduct a thorough review in coordination with the appropriate agencies.
United Airlines said its pilots had been advised by ATC to “watch for a military helicopter” but were not given active separation instructions. The crew saw the helicopter and received the TCAS alert simultaneously, then executed the level-off maneuver.
Investigation Ongoing
The FAA has not indicated when preliminary findings will be released. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is aware of the incident but has not announced whether it will open a formal investigation.
The close call is the latest in a string of aviation safety incidents drawing national attention. The day before, a regional Air Canada jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York, killing two pilots.
For aviation safety professionals tracking airfield risk, the FAA’s updated runway incursion hot spot analysis for 2026 provides additional context on high-risk areas where aircraft conflicts remain a persistent concern.
The John Wayne incident will likely sharpen congressional and industry scrutiny of how quickly — and consistently — the new visual separation ban has been implemented across facilities still adapting to the March 18 directive.
Subscribe to FODNews for independent coverage of aviation safety incidents and airfield risk worldwide.
Sources
- Fox News — “United jet dodges Black Hawk in last-second maneuver over California airport: ‘That was not good’”
- Aerospace Global News — “FAA investigates United Airlines near miss with Army Black Hawk in California”
- ABC7 Chicago — “Military helicopter crossed in front of United flight approaching California airport: FAA”
- Flightradar24 — “United 737 and US Army Black Hawk involved in Santa Ana close call”
- FAA — GENOT: Suspension of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters (March 18, 2026)
- Airline Geeks — “FAA Investigating Close Call Between United Jet, Black Hawk”
