Military Helicopter Cuts in Front of United Jet Near Landing

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A United Airlines Boeing 737 with 168 people on board was on final approach to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California on Tuesday night when an Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crossed in front of it, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is investigating the incident, which saw the United pilots receive an urgent collision alert before landing safely.

Why it matters

This is the second unnerving near miss in US skies this week, raising concerns about the proper application of new FAA rules meant to improve separation between planes and helicopters following a deadly collision last year.

The details

The FAA says preliminary radar data indicates the aircraft were separated by about 525 feet vertically and less than a third of a mile horizontally. The Guard says the Black Hawk was returning from a training mission along an established visual route and was in contact with controllers; it also landed safely. The FAA is investigating whether the newly adopted rule - meant to end reliance on "see and avoid" visual separation between planes and helicopters and require radar-managed spacing - was properly applied.

• The incident occurred on Tuesday night, March 26, 2026.
• The new FAA rule came in the wake of a collision between a Black Hawk and an American Airlines plane that killed 67 people last year.

What’s next

The FAA is investigating whether the newly adopted rule meant to improve separation between planes and helicopters was properly applied in this incident.