You’ve likely flown through busy Southern California airspace or watched planes zigzag over city skylines, and now experts warn that Hollywood Burbank Airport could face a serious mid-air collision risk if systemic issues aren’t fixed. They point to mixed helicopter and airplane traffic, short runways, and strained air-traffic resources as immediate contributors to the heightened danger.
This post will explain why officials singled out Burbank, what patterns and past close calls reveal about broader air-safety weaknesses, and which actions agencies and airlines are proposing to reduce the risk. Expect clear, practical details that show how the problem affects operations and what to watch for as regulators respond.
Why Hollywood Burbank Airport Is Under Threat
Hollywood Burbank Airport faces tight approach paths, frequent traffic alerts, and overlapping flight patterns with nearby airports and helicopter routes. Pilots and investigators point to repeated near misses, mixed aircraft types, and airspace that leaves little margin for error.
Recent Near Mid-Air Collisions and Warning Signs
Since 2018, multiple reports logged in the Aviation Safety Reporting System and other databases note near mid-air collisions involving Burbank arrivals. Pilots have reported Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alerts and abrupt go-arounds when inbound jets encountered smaller aircraft, indicating recurring proximity issues rather than isolated incidents.
NTSB officials and commercial airlines have raised alarms after a pattern of these events, saying the frequency and nature of the alerts create credible risk of a serious collision. Local reporting shows at least a dozen near-miss reports that referenced Burbank, with pilots describing rapid altitude changes and last-minute reroutes to avoid contact.
Mix of Helicopter and Airplane Traffic
Burbank’s airspace routinely holds both commercial jets on instrument approaches and helicopters or small planes operating at lower altitudes. Helicopters often fly point-to-point or for film, news, and tourism, creating unpredictable vertical and lateral movement relative to descending airliners…