Transport Secretary Critiques DoD Over Helicopter Incident

Transport Secretary Sean Duffy expressed his concerns on Friday regarding a recent incident involving an Army helicopter in Washington that resulted in forced landings the previous day. According to reports from Politico, Duffy labeled the situation as “unacceptable.”

He highlighted that military aircraft should adhere to specific flight protocols, which apparently were overlooked in this case. Duffy noted, “The restrictions on helicopters around DCA are clear. I’ll reach out to the Department of Defense to understand why these regulations were not followed,” referencing input from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

During the incident, a Black Hawk helicopter caused Air Traffic Controllers to direct two flights to perform go-arounds at the Pentagon instead of taking a more straightforward approach from the west to the heliport. The FAA’s assistant manager for government and industrial affairs, Chris Senn, mentioned that the helicopter deviated from its approved flight path.

This deviation compelled Delta Line and Republic Airlines flights to alter their approaches, as the FAA reported on Friday. An investigation is currently underway by both the FAA and the NTSB.

While two commercial jets were landing at Reagan National Airport (DCA), the helicopter was reportedly less than a mile and 400 feet from Delta flights and about 0.4 miles and 200 feet from Republic flights. It was noted that the helicopter’s radar signal seemingly fluctuated unexpectedly, making real-time tracking difficult for controllers.

Importantly, two of the commercial flights were not situated within the restricted airspace during these “loss of separation” incidents.

Duffy emphasized, “Safety always has to be the priority. We’ve already lost 67 lives. Further helicopter training in the crowded DCA airspace, which is busy with civilians, seems unnecessary. Most VIPs utilize black car services.”

This incident took place approximately 12 weeks after a Black Hawk helicopter nearly collided with an American Airlines flight while approaching DCA. In that earlier incident, both the helicopter and the commercial aircraft crashed into the Potomac River, resulting in all 64 passenger survivors on the jet but tragically claiming the lives of three soldiers on the helicopter.

Reports indicate that the helicopter pilot, Army Colonel Rebecca A. Robach, did not follow certain air traffic control instructions aimed at maintaining safe distances from commercial flights. Notably, family members of previous crash victims are currently pursuing negligence claims against the FAA and the US military.

Robach’s flight mission was assessed in the New York Times annual test on flying skills. The helicopter’s crew included her instructor, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Lloyd Eves, and crew chief Sergeant Ryan Austin O’Hara, both of whom also lost their lives.

Robach was recognized as the most experienced of the trio, reportedly logging over 450 flight hours. Additionally, on April 10th, a separate incident involved her helicopter clipping the wings of another aircraft carrying two lawmakers at DCA.