The air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport instructed both the Delta and Republic flights to execute “go-arounds” due to the presence of a “priority air transport helicopter.”
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A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter led to two commercial planes canceling their approaches to landing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday after its pilots opted for “a leisurely fly-by near the Pentagon.”
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The air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport instructed both the Delta and Republic flights to execute “go-arounds” due to the presence of a “priority air transport helicopter.”
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy labeled the helicopter’s landing as “inadmissible,” further stating: “We will not permit any more helicopter trips for high-ranking officials or superfluous exercises within the crowded DCA airspace teeming with ordinary citizens.”
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter led to two commercial flights canceling their approaches to landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after its pilots opted for an unplanned sightseeing path.
On Thursday, May 1, the Army helicopter opted for a roundabout path circling the Pentagon instead of going straight from the west to the helipad, as stated in an email acquired by
Politico
from Chris Senn, who serves as the Assistant Administrator for Government and Industry Affairs at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated in a report that at approximately 2:30 p.m., local time, an air traffic controller ordered both a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 to execute “go-around maneuvers” due to an incoming Army Priority Air Transport helicopter.
In his email, Senn stated that the Army team failed to adhere to safety protocols and categorized the event as a “loss of separation.” This term indicates that the helicopter came closer to another aircraft than what is permitted under established guidelines.
According to Politico, Senn also pointed out that the Army aircraft was “not inside the restricted mixed traffic zone” at the airport.
Based on the information in Senn’s email, both commercial flights were nearing their destination for landing. At some stage, the Black Hawk helicopter was just 0.4 miles away horizontally and only 200 feet vertically from the Republic aircraft, as stated by Politico. Additionally, it got closer than a mile with an altitude difference of under 400 feet to the Delta airplane.
The air traffic controllers lacked real-time tracking of the helicopter since its radar data “accidentally drifted and moved to another spot on their display” when it went unresponsive for a few moments. This occurred while the aircraft was over a mile apart from the Republic plane, according to the email.
A single supervisor along with four controllers and one controller in training were present during the incident, as Senn mentioned.
Related:
Before the Fatal D.C. Airplane Accident, There Were More Than 15,000 Near Misses at the Airport: NTSB
Later, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the public regarding the incident.
a post
On X, referring to the helicopter’s touchdown as “inadmissible.”
The restrictions regarding our helicopters at DCA are very straightforward,” Duffy stated. “Safety must always be prioritized. We have tragically lost 67 lives! There will be no more helicopter trips for VIPs or non-essential training within the crowded DCA airspace filled with civilians.
“I will be speaking with the @DeptofDefense to inquire as to why the heck our regulations were ignored,” he said additionally.
The army representative, Captain Victoria Goldfeder, informed the public.
Associated Press
that the Black Hawk was adhering to FAA flight paths and air traffic control instructions from the airport when it was “instructed by Pentagon Air Traffic Control to perform a ‘go-around,’ flying above the Pentagon helipad as per sanctioned flight protocols.”
Related:
Aircraft Transporting U.S. Congressional Representatives Scraped by Another Plane at Reagan National Airport While Lawmakers Share Updates via Social Media From Inside the Cabin
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This week’s event occurred only three months after 67 people were killed in an incident.
mid-air collision
On January 29 at the same airport, an American Airlines regional jet and a Black Hawk Army helicopter crashed into each other, resulting in fatalities among all passengers and crew aboard both aircraft.
Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington state, who sits on the Commerce Committee, described the event of May 1 as “outrageous.”
“It’s appalling that just three months following a tragic collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airplane, the same Army unit once again allowed a helicopter to come dangerously close to passenger planes on their final approach,” she stated to Politico. She emphasized that both the Pentagon and the FAA must “allocate the necessary security and safety focus to our airspace that it warrants.”
The FAA informed that both agencies are looking into the event, with the NTSB expected to take charge of the investigation.
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