Aviation authorities on Friday permanently closed part of a helicopter route east and southeast of Reagan National Airport where an Army Black Hawk collided with an airliner in January, killing 67 people,

The move follows federal investigators's call for a ban on helo flights on the route, citing a string of near misses in recent years.

The agency says the approved helicopter route is too close to the approach to the runway where an American Eagle plane was attempting to land in January.