LAPD helicopters barred from flying around LAX airspace ‘until further notice’
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Los Angeles police helicopters will not be responding to most emergencies near LAX for the time being, as federal aviation authorities are addressing safety concerns at one of the nation’s busiest airports, the head of the LAPD’s aerial division announced this week.
In a departmentwide memo Thursday, LAPD Capt. Jonathan Larsen wrote that the Federal Aviation Administration had “imposed restrictions on Air Support operations and all general aviation” in neighborhoods in Los Angeles International Airport airspace covering three entire police divisions — Newton, 77th Street, Southeast, historically among the city’s busiest — and a portion of a fourth, Pacific.
“Air units will be restricted from responding to requests for service in the affected areas,” wrote Larsen, the acting commanding officer of Air Support Division.
That, he said, is “effective immediately and until further notice.”
The U.S. government says the actions of an air traffic controller and Army helicopter pilot played a role in a fatal collision in January near the nation’s capital.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson declined to respond to questions about what effect the restrictions would have on the department’s operations, referring questions to the FAA.
In its own statement, the FAA said that it would be restricting flights operating under so-called visual flight rules — also known as VFR, where pilots are responsible for watching out for and avoiding other aircraft and structures, as opposed to relying on instruments. The restrictions are part of a nationwide “safety review of airports with mixed helicopter and airplane traffic,” the agency said.
“While we conduct this evaluation, air traffic controllers will more often prohibit VFR operators from entering LAX airspace based on the volume and complexity of traffic they’re working, along with daily airspace occurrences including weather and any nearby construction,” the statement read.
The LAPD operates one of the largest municipal fleets in the country, which it says plays a valuable role in tracking crime suspects and patrolling the sprawling city.
Pilots who regularly fly in and around Hollywood Burbank airport said its proximity to Van Nuys airport makes it particularly vulnerable to a midair collision. Some worry enough hasn’t been done to mitigate crossover between aircraft in the area.
According to the department, helicopters are also deployed in a variety of support roles, including transporting supplies and serving as a commander’s eyes in the sky during special events.
The new no-fly zone includes certain low-income neighborhoods on the city’s south end that a 2023 city controller’s office audit found received an inordinate number of flyovers by LAPD helicopters. The highly critical report found that police airships spend less than half of their flight time responding to “high priority” crimes — the rest was used for patrolling, responding to lower-level 911 calls, performing ceremonial flybys and ferrying around VIPs.
LAPD officials slammed that report as “highly inaccurate” and produced their own internal review that showed the amount of time helicopters spent in certain areas was proportionate with the amount of violent crime and gun violence there.
The federal review comes after a series of high-profile midair crashes and close calls reignited a nationwide debate over air safety.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been recommending such Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems to be installed since 2008.
In January, the FAA permanently banned helicopter traffic around Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., which had been operating under airspace restrictions for months after a midair crash involving a commercial airliner and a military helicopter that killed 67. The agency this month has twice shut down airspace near the U.S.-Mexico border, most recently after the military mistakenly shot down a Customs and Border Protection drone near El Paso.
The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board last month singled out Hollywood Burbank Airport as having a concerning risk of a midair collision. The FAA has deemed the airport among its “hotspots” with a high volume of mixed helicopter and airplane traffic.
Despite the national conversation, the House failed to approve a bill Tuesday that would have required all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems to prevent crashes like the one in D.C.
In Los Angeles, the department’s airships are an often inescapable part of the city’s landscape, immortalized in rap songs and Hollywood blockbusters. The LAPD began using its first helicopter in 1957 to help monitor traffic along the city’s burgeoning highway system.
The Federal Aviation Administration reopened the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas.
Yet the airships are also a source of frustration and distrust for many people who consider them an unwelcome intrusion and reminder of what they see as the LAPD’s terrorizing presence in communities of color.
The new restrictions come amid a rapid expansion of the LAPD’s drone program.
A pilot program that allowed police to deploy unmanned aircraft to routine emergency calls has been expanded citywide, with the department poised to acquire scores of new drones thanks to a $2.1-million donation from the Police Foundation and a state grant.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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