Hotline Between Pentagon and Air Traffic Control Inoperable Since 2022

WASHINGTON – A critical hotline linking the Pentagon to air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has been non-functional since March 2022.

This issue came to light following a tragic collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a local passenger plane, which resulted in the death of 67 individuals on the Potomac River in late January. Franklin McIntosh, the FAA’s Air Transport COO, shared this information during a Senate Commerce and Science Transport Committee meeting.

McIntosh emphasized to the committee’s chairman, Ted Cruz (R-Texas), that the Department of Defense was responsible for maintaining the hotline but had not informed air traffic controllers about its inoperability.

“We didn’t realize, but we noticed it afterward,” McIntosh explained. “Now that we’ve recognized the issue, it’s imperative to secure that line before we continue Pentagon operations.”