Military Helicopter Near United Flight Sparks FAA Investigation at John Wayne Airport A military helicopter crossed in front of a United Airlines flight as the aircraft approached John Wayne Airport on Tuesday night, prompting an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. The incident occurred around 8:40 p.m. when United Airlines Flight 589 was descending toward the airport, according to the FAA. A Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter reportedly entered the flight path of the commercial plane, coming within approximately 525 feet vertically and 1,422 feet horizontally at their closest point, as recorded by flight tracking website FlightRadar24. The website described the event as a “close call.” United Airlines confirmed that its pilots were alerted by air traffic control to a military helicopter near the airport during the flight’s final approach. The crew reported seeing the helicopter and received a traffic alert, prompting them to level the aircraft before safely landing about three minutes later. FlightRadar24 noted that the commercial plane avoided the helicopter and completed its descent into Santa Ana without incident. John Wayne Airport spokesperson AnnaSophia Servin told a reporter that the situation did not constitute a close call, though the FAA has launched an investigation to determine whether a recently implemented measure limiting the use of “visual separation” between aircraft and helicopters was in effect. Visual separation, a method allowing pilots to maintain distance from other aircraft by keeping them in sight rather than relying solely on radar and air traffic controllers, is now being restricted. According to Juan Browne, a former U.S.#federal_aviation_administration #united_airlines #john_wayne_airport #flight_radar24 #california_national_guard
