Authorities report that an Army Black Hawk helicopter came alarmingly close—just 200 feet—from a jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last week, leading to two additional near-misses with commercial airliners.
This unsettling event occurred only three months after a similar helicopter from the same unit was involved in a tragic collision with an American Airlines flight, resulting in the deaths of 67 individuals.
In response, officials and politicians expressed outrage towards the military due to the incident.
According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, on Thursday, two commercial flights—Delta Flight 1671 and Republic Flight 5825—were swiftly redirected for landing at Reagan because of the helicopter’s proximity.
Both flights were making their final descent less than two miles from the runway around 2:30 PM, officials noted.
“We decided to take a longer route around the Pentagon to avoid direct passage from the west to the helipad,” the FAA’s assistant administrator for government and industrial affairs mentioned in an email on Friday.
At one point, the helicopter’s altitude fluctuated from 200 to 2,100 feet compared to the Republic flight and from 400 to 2,100 feet from the Delta one, according to reports.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) criticized the incident, stating, “It’s absurd that just three months after the Army Black Hawk helicopter tragically collided with a passenger plane, the same brigade has once again flown too close to a jet during its final approach.” She urged the Pentagon and FAA to ensure stricter safety measures in airspace.
During the close call, an FAA controller advised both commercial flights to execute a “go-around” as they neared Reagan National Airport.
The near-miss was partly caused by the inability of the control tower to track the Black Hawk’s real-time location on radar. At the time, a supervisory controller and several certified professionals were on duty.
The Army had been using Automatic Dependency Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, which provides air traffic controllers with up-to-date information regarding an aircraft’s altitude, location, and speed. However, there was a brief period when the radar tracking for the helicopter failed, creating confusion.
These incidents are classified as “loss of separation,” which indicates a breach of minimum safe distance between aircraft. Notably, none of the planes were in “restricted mixed traffic areas” around Reagan National.
Nonetheless, the FAA is currently investigating whether the Army’s helicopter operations violated airspace regulations.
The deadly incident over the Potomac River on January 29 marked the most severe aviation disaster in the U.S. since 2001, prompting scrutiny of military Black Hawk activities near airports.
Investigations into the January crash are still ongoing, and it may take over a year to reach conclusions. Currently, there is heightened emphasis on the ADS-B system following claims that it was turned off during the fatal event.
The Army acknowledged the recent incident but cautioned against jumping to conclusions regarding causes or contributing factors before the investigation wraps up.
In a statement, the Army asserted, “It’s irresponsible to prematurely speculate on information that may unjustly implicate individuals or organizations.” They reiterated their commitment to a thorough investigation into the tragic events of January 29 to prevent future occurrences.
