Free Republic

An Army Black Hawk helicopter decided to take the “scenic route” near the Pentagon—and came way too close to two passenger planes trying to land in D.C. Both jets were forced to pull up at the last second—one was just 450 feet from the ground. This is the same Army brigade involved in a January crash that killed 67 people, the worst U.S. aviation disaster in over 20 years. Officials are fuming, again. And Reagan Airport? Still dealing with controller shortages, near-misses, and—oh yeah—a literal fistfight in the control tower last year. Flying into D.C. is starting to feel like...

Federal transportation safety officials were investigating on Friday after two commercial flights aborted landings because an Army helicopter had entered the airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where helicopter traffic has been restricted since a fatal collision in January.Air traffic controllers instructed Delta Air Lines Flight 1671 and Republic Airways Flight 5825 to abort their landings around 2:30 p.m. Thursday because of the helicopter’s presence, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has begun an investigation along with the National Transportation Safety Board.The helicopter was a Black Hawk headed to the nearby Pentagon, the safety board said.Both planes later...

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...

Two employees at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority have been arrested over leaking video of an American Airlines passenger jet colliding with an Army helicopter to far-left CNN. Fox 5 DC reported on Monday 21-year-old Mohamed Lamine Mbengue of Rockville, Maryland was arrested on Jan. 31 and charged with computer trespass under Virginia law. A MWAA spokesperson said he booked into the Arlington County Adult Detention Center and was later released. Authorities then charged 45-year-old Jonathan Savoy of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with computer trespass on Feb. 2. A magistrate judge later released him on a summons. Fox 5 DC notes...

After withholding at the request of the family the name of the female pilot killed in the mid-air collision Wednesday night between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA/American Airlines passenger plane on final approach to Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., the Army issued a statement Saturday afternoon from her family identifying the pilot as 28-year-old Capt. Rebecca Lobach from Durham, N.C. The other two soldiers killed in the crash previously identified by the Army are Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O’Hara, 28, of Lilburn, Georgia, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, 39, of Great Mills, Maryland....

Investigators are going to have to look at every possible reason a military Black Hawk Helicopter could crash into an American Airlines passenger jet landing at Reagan Airport in D.C. The calls from air traffic controllers for the helicopter to “return to base” raise serious concerns over what may have caused this crash. We even pulled the altitude and flight tracking data that revealed sharp zig-zags and a sudden drop in altitude moments before the crash. Here are the possible reasons behind the disaster: Mechanical Failure Air Traffic Control Failure Human Error Nefarious Action Pilot Suicide Computer Hack ....

A passenger aircraft departing from Reagan Washington National Airport crashed into the Potomac River, leading to a swift and coordinated rescue operation. Four individuals have been rescued from the frigid waters and are receiving medical attention. The Gateway Pundit reported a moment ago that a mid-air collision occurred over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., involving American Eagle Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The collision resulted in both aircraft crashing into the icy waters below. American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, was en route from Wichita, Kansas, to Ronald Reagan Washington National...

<p>ARLINGTON, Va. -- The power is out at Reagan National Airport outside Washington, D.C., bringing flights and security screening to a standstill.</p>

Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark. Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI. Kashif Irfan,...

WBZ) BOSTON 5 crew members of a U.S. Airways flight became ill on a flight to Boston Monday morning. The airline says the two pilots and three flight attendants were working on Flight 2022, a Star Alliance shuttle from Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C. to Logan Airport when they got sick. The flight landed at Logan without incident. The crew was treated by emergency medical services at the gate. EMS told WBZ it took the five to Massachusetts General Hospital with symptoms similar to carbon monoxide poisoning. There were 81 passengers on the plane. None of them were ill. A...

<p>Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced yesterday that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has been cleared to return to pre-September 11 flight levels by April 15.</p> <p>The airport, which was the last commercial airport to reopen after the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center shut down the country's aviation industry, has been gradually increasing its capacity and can return to full capacity — 800 daily flights — next month, the Transportation Department said.</p>