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Posted on 05/03/2025 8:32:13 AM PDT by george76
A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter flying through restricted Washington, D.C. airspace on Thursday triggered urgent evasive maneuvers by two commercial jets inbound to Reagan National Airport.
An American Airlines jet collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft. Just four months after the deadly incident, it was reported that an Army chopper deviated from its approved flight path, veering around the Pentagon instead of heading directly to the helipad, according to a Friday email from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Assistant Administrator Chris Senn
...
The unexpected turn prompted air traffic controllers to order go-arounds for a Delta Air Lines flight and a Republic Airways flight already on final approach. Although go-arounds are not unusual at the busy airport, the FAA classified Thursday’s incident as a “loss of separation,” a serious breach of federal air traffic safety standards.
The two civilian aircraft were brought dangerously close to the helicopter, less than a mile and 400 feet in one case, and just 0.4 miles and 200 feet in the other, Politico reported. The Army Black Hawk was transmitting data via its ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) system, unlike the one involved in the January crash, in which investigators suspect the system was switched off.
The danger escalated when the helicopter’s radar track temporarily glitched on controllers’ screens, delaying their ability to monitor its exact position. The Reagan control tower was fully staffed during the incident, including a supervisor, four certified professional controllers and a trainee under instruction. FAA officials said an investigation is underway to determine whether the Army violated any flight protocols. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also reviewing the event.
Thursday’s close call revived concerns from the Jan. 29 disaster that highlighted gaps in military-civilian airspace coordination, especially around inconsistent use of tracking technology. It was reported that the pilot of a U.S. Army Black Hawk failed to change course before colliding with a passenger jet.
Reagan National Airport has had several accidents, including one in April when a plane clipped the wing of another aircraft carrying two U.S. representatives. Investigators say the Army pilot flying the Black Hawk failed to maintain a lower altitude and may have missed air traffic instructions due to overlapping radio transmissions.
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Which VIP was on board the Black Hawk?
A major non-event being reported as a near disaster by those who control the flow of our “news”.
The US Army has no shame. Kill 67 people and it’s still business as usual.
Who was flying the helicopter? This is ridiculous.
No, that’s a pretty big deal.
They need to wish the crew good luck for routine landings these days.
So many things to think about as they come in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSQyW_l8OgE
Do not fly into DCA!
Well, it was enough of an event to trigger a NTSB investigation.
Unacceptable. Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear. In addition to investigations from @NTSB and @FAANews, I’ll be talking to the @DeptofDefense to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.
Safety must ALWAYS come first. We just lost 67 souls! No more… https://t.co/7ijmc8MW8v— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) May 2, 2025
Less than half a mile lateral and 200 feet vertical is a major event, and should lead to some courts martial up the chain of command. A lot of purges needed in the Army.
I second lightman's question.
I flew into DCA back in the 90s, and the pilot had to execute a missed approach because of “traffic in the area” and a turn onto final way too close to the airport. Pilot almost left it too late hitting the throttles.
DCA should be restricted to private jets. No military and commercial jets.
Ok, how often do these “glitches” occur and why, what causes a “glitch” ?
How about comms with the helicopter, where they okay, no glitches ? Did the controller ask the helo pilot a pointed question, as in , “ WTF are you doing?” Is that okay to ask a pilot over the airwaves ?
Makes you wonder in the air service department has trans a mission problems in those helicopters.
Glitches are usually caused by democrats. Those are failures for political reasons or just plain DEI style incompetence.
The army apparently can't be trusted to fly near the airport - it seems to have equipment/training/quality of pilot problems.
No.
DCA should be limited to commercial jets. Military and private jets should be banned from the airspace. No reason for lobbyists and millionaires to get exclusive use of the airport while the proles are limited to Baltimore or Dulles.
The military can use Andrews. Closing Bolling was probably a good move. And the military can run shuttle buses from the Pentagon to Andrews for field grade officers and flag officers that need to fly military.
I don't have all the answers. I'm not an expert. But obviously we need to reassess the airport and find a reasonable use for it that is safe.
DCA used to have way fewer flights decades ago. Perhaps that should be the case again.
I thought military aircraft were no longer allowed to fly at Reagan airport due to what happened in January
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