A recent close call in Southern California is prompting a comprehensive federal review of air traffic safety protocols. The urgency follows a harrowing incident involving a plane and a helicopter that narrowly avoided disaster near Hollywood Burbank Airport.

Officials report that earlier this month, a potentially catastrophic collision was averted when a Beechcraft 99 airplane, cleared to land, encountered a helicopter that had inadvertently strayed into its flight path. The situation developed rapidly, placing both aircraft on a collision trajectory in a congested airspace.

In a critical, life-saving maneuver, the helicopter pilot executed a sharp right turn, successfully evading the oncoming plane. This quick thinking prevented what could have been a tragic midair crash, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance in air traffic management.

This near-miss is not an isolated event. Federal authorities are voicing concerns about a growing number of similar incidents nationwide, including a recent occurrence in San Antonio. These events point to a potential strain on the current air traffic control system, signaling an urgent need for reform and increased safety measures.

In a split-second move that likely prevented catastrophe, the helicopter veered into a right-hand turn, dodging the incoming plane and averting what could have been a deadly midair collision.

The incident didn’t happen in isolation. Federal officials say it’s part of a troubling pattern of close calls popping up across the country — including a similar scare in San Antonio — raising alarms that the current system has reached a breaking point.

At the center of the concern? A long-standing practice known as “visual separation,” where pilots are expected to see and avoid each other in busy skies.

Regulators now say that’s no longer good enough.

In response, the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation are rolling out a major safety overhaul: eliminating visual separation between airplanes and helicopters in high-traffic areas and shifting responsibility squarely onto air traffic controllers using radar.

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The move follows a year-long review of near-misses and traffic data, along with heightened scrutiny after a deadly 2025 midair collision near Washington, D.C., exposed serious gaps in aviation safety.

Under the new rules, controllers must maintain strict distances between aircraft — especially where helicopter routes intersect with airport flight paths. That could mean delays or rerouting for helicopter pilots, including those on medical or law enforcement missions, as safety takes priority.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy framed the changes as part of a broader push to modernize the nation’s airspace and prevent the next disaster before it happens.

“Today, we are proactively mitigating risks before they affect the traveling public,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement.