An
Army Black Hawk helicopter
allegedly came dangerously close to colliding with two different commercial airplanes
Reagan National Airport
Last week, following its pilot’s choice to take “a picturesque path” to the Pentagon, officials confirmed that the location saw another fatal accident involving a military helicopter colliding with a commercial airplane back in January.
the New York Post
.
Transportation Secretary
Sean Duffy
referred to the event, which occurred last Thursday (May 1), as “inadmissible.” According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, two commercial aircraft—a Delta Flight 1671 and a Republic Flight 5825—were diverted during their approach because a nearby helicopter posed safety concerns.
The two aircraft were both within less than two miles of the runway and were on their final approach around 2:30 p.m. local time. It was noted that the helicopter took “a picturesque path circling the Pentagon instead of heading straight from the west to the helipad,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s administrator for government and industry relations.
Chris Senn
stated in a communiqué acquired by
Politico
on Friday (May 2).
According to Senn, reports indicated that the helicopter was believed to be approximately 200 to 2,100 feet away from the Republic aircraft and around 400 to 2,600 feet distant from the Delta craft. This event occurred not long after a fatal mid-air crash involving a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet, where all 67 individuals onboard both planes lost their lives.
“It is appalling that just three months following the tragic collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet, the same Army unit once again allowed a helicopter to come dangerously close to commercial airplanes on their final approach,” Senator said.
Maria Cantwell
(D-Wash.) told Politico.
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