Posted on 06/12/2026 11:03:03 PM PDT by VanShuyten
A commercial airline pilot that spoke to MeidasTouch this evening has filed aviation safety reports after powerful lighting used during the construction and testing of the UFC octagon on the White House grounds allegedly shone directly into their cockpit during a nighttime approach into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), creating what the pilot described as one of the most severe visibility disruptions they have experienced in their career. ———- According to the pilot, the lights illuminated the cockpit during the final stages of landing, a critical phase of flight when pilots rely heavily on visual references. The pilot described the incident as “10 times worse than any laser illumination event” the pilot ever experienced. ———- Aviation safety experts have long warned that sudden bright light exposure can temporarily impair a pilot’s night vision, particularly during approach and landing when crews are transitioning between instrument references and external visual cues.
It is not yet clear whether additional flight crews reported similar visibility issues during Sunday night’s event or whether the FAA plans to review the matter.
(Excerpt) Read more at meidasnews.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
That said, I could see where this might be a problem since the arena has spotlights pointing out from the big arches.
How did the pilot know MeidasNews’s phone number?
Meidas thouch posted on FR? That’s new.
Bogus Trump hater nonsense....DC is “no-fly” territory.
No one can fly a plane over DC.
Hundreds of football and baseball stadiums lit up at night but this one is a problem. TDS!!!
If this is true, the Air Force should have shot the plane down. My way of saying: Bull💩
“No one can fly a plane over DC.”
Wait, what?
Maybe it’s Sunday at the TDS Paki Bot farm? 😉
Planes fly along the Potomac in and out of Reagan all day long. The White House is close to the Potomac. This isn’t impossible according to your arguments.
Yeah, no, you’re wrong.
Agree with you on posts #10 and #11. They fly into and out of DCA all day, not over DC.
But it makes no sense that only one aircraft reported it.
Why? That is absolutely ridiculous.
Sun glasses !!
National airport exists because Congress keeps it open. It should have closed decades ago. During the no-fly period just after 9/11 DC was quite peaceful for a few days without the constant jet noise.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.