WASHINGTON, D.C.: This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it is taking steps to stop collisions between helicopters and passenger planes near the busy Las Vegas airport.

The agency pointed to serious safety problems.

In January, a crash between a helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet near Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport killed 67 people. After that, the FAA began reviewing how helicopters operate near major U.S. airports.

The FAA found several problems involving helicopters at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. One big issue was that air traffic controllers weren't always warning pilots when helicopters and planes were near each other.

In March, Congress criticized the FAA for not doing enough to prevent close calls between helicopters and planes near Reagan Airport. Since 2021, there have been about 15,000 reports of these incidents. Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau admitted, "Clearly something was missed."

To help fix the problem in Las Vegas, the FAA made new rules with helicopter companies. These rules say helicopters must avoid flight paths that don't have precise altitude or direction limits.

The FAA also began giving pilots more warnings and taking more control over helicopter movements. Because of this, the number of collision alerts dropped by 30 percent in just three weeks.

More changes are planned around Las Vegas, which is the eighth busiest airport in the U.S.

In March, the FAA permanently restricted where helicopters can fly around Reagan Airport, which has the country's busiest runway. Helicopter flights there can now stop other air traffic when needed.

The FAA is also closely monitoring two busy airports near Los Angeles—Hollywood Burbank and Van Nuys—because they're close together and have tight flight paths.

This week, the FAA held a meeting about helicopter safety, including how helicopters are flown and maintained. Earlier this month, a helicopter crash in the Hudson River near New York killed six people, raising more safety concerns.

The FAA says the main reasons for helicopter crashes are losing control, hitting things at low altitudes, and flying in bad weather—whether on purpose or by mistake.