Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA is revising its regulations to implement certain flight restrictions in the airspace over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) permanently. These revisions are necessary to mitigate the potential for midair collisions resulting from insufficient separation between fixed-wing aircraft operating to or from DCA and helicopters or powered-lift operating in the vertical- lift flight mode near DCA. The revisions will also fully implement a National Transportation Safety Board safety recommendation. The flight restrictions will prohibit helicopters and powered-lift operating in the vertical-lift flight mode from operating in a designated area near DCA unless these aircraft are conducting an essential operation.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 93 [Docket No. FAA-2026-0199; Amdt. No. 93-105] RIN 2120-AM14 AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Interim final rule with request for comments. SUMMARY: FAA is revising its regulations to implement certain flight restrictions in the airspace over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) permanently. These revisions are necessary to mitigate the potential for midair collisions resulting from insufficient separation between fixed-wing aircraft operating to or from DCA and helicopters or powered-lift operating in the vertical-lift flight mode near DCA. The revisions will also fully implement a National Transportation Safety Board safety recommendation. The flight restrictions will prohibit helicopters and powered-lift operating in the vertical-lift flight mode from operating in a designated area near DCA unless these aircraft are conducting an essential operation. DATES: This interim final rule is effective January 23, 2026. Submit comments on or before February 23, 2026. ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2026-0199 using any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your comments electronically. Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30; U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12…
Citation: 91 FR 2840
