From Fox News: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating after a close call Tuesday night between a United Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California.
United Airlines flight 589 was on its final approach to John Wayne Airport when a Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter crossed in front of its flight path at about 8:40 p.m., according to the FAA.
A United Airlines spokesperson told Fox News that the Boeing 737-800’s pilots were advised by air traffic control to “watch for a military helicopter flying near the airport.”
“They saw the helicopter and also received a traffic alert, which they responded to by leveling the aircraft,” the spokesperson said. “The United flight then landed safely.”
United confirmed their flight had 162 passengers and six crew members on board when the incident occurred. The plane reportedly came close enough to the Black Hawk helicopter to set off an anti-collision warning, or “resolution advisory,” from its traffic avoidance system, which suggests they were only seconds away from a potential crash.
In an audio recording, a control tower operator was heard saying, “We’re gonna be addressing that because that was not good.”
CBS News correspondent Kris Van Cleave shared the audio recordings on X:
United says flight was on final approach, 168 on board.
Pilots were advised by ATC of chopper. They saw it & “also received a traffic alert, which they responded to by leveling the aircraft. The United flight then landed safely.”
Full UA and FAA statements ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5YuAF1EZfP— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) March 26, 2026
A chilling post by Flight Radar shows just how close the two aircraft came to having a massive mid-air collision.
The FAA says its investigation of the incident involving United flight 589 and a US Army Black Hawk will also include “whether a new measure to suspend the use of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters was applied.” https://t.co/QQzCj1ClJH pic.twitter.com/0DwdNJc8BL
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 26, 2026
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