The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the aborted landings of two commercial flights approaching Reagan National Airport on Thursday. These incidents occurred as a US Army Black Hawk helicopter was in the vicinity, approaching the Pentagon.
Helicopter operations near the airport have been under increased scrutiny since the midair collision on January 29 between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army helicopter from the same unit. That crash resulted in the deaths of 67 people.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is also conducting an investigation, stated that air traffic controllers instructed Delta flight 1671 and Republic flight 5825 “to perform go-arounds at the Reagan Washington National Airport due to a Priority Air Transport helicopter inbound to the Pentagon Army Heliport” at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
In a statement released on Sunday, US Army spokesperson Capt. Victoria Goldfedib explained, “While conducting flight operations into the Pentagon in accordance with published FAA flight routes and DCA Air Traffic Control, a UH-60 Blackhawk initiated a ‘go-around’ after Pentagon Air Traffic Control told them they were not cleared to land, overflying the Pentagon helipad while maintaining all approved flight procedures. As a result, DCA Air Traffic Control issued a ‘go-around’ to two civil fixed wing aircraft to ensure the appropriate deconfliction of airspace.”
Goldfedib added that the incident is currently under investigation. “The United States Army remains committed to aviation safety and conducting flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures,” she affirmed.
Following the incident, the ranking Democrat on the senate committee overseeing the FAA called upon the agency and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to “give our airspace the security and safety attention it deserves.”
Related Article: Pilots had reported near-misses with helicopters at Reagan National Airport in the years before the deadly crash
“It is outrageous that only three months after an Army Black Hawk helicopter tragically collided with a passenger jet, the same Army brigade again flew a helicopter too close to passenger jets on final approach at DCA,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington. “This comes less than a week after this brigade resumed flights in the National Capital Region.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, stated that he would pursue legislation to “keep the flying public safe from Army helicopter flights that are dangerously close” to the airport.
“I believe it’s time for the FAA to act swiftly and assert control over the national airspace so the Army stops running air taxis for military officials near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” Cruz said in a post on X.
Information shared by the FAA with Congress indicated that the closest proximity of the first aircraft, Delta Flight 1671, to the helicopter was “0.89 miles and 400 feet.” The second flight, Republic 5825, came within “0.4 miles and 200 feet” of the helicopter.
“It appears the Blackhawk operation did not proceed directly to the Pentagon Heliport,” noted a preliminary FAA report shared with members of Congress. “Instead that took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport.”
The early FAA report also stated that the helicopter was not within a restricted area established by the agency in the days following the January 29 midair collision.
The Black Hawk involved in these incidents was part of the 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the same unit involved in the fatal crash over the Potomac River.
Flight Corridor Near Airport Under Scrutiny
Following the January crash involving the American Airlines flight and the Army helicopter, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, acting on the NTSB’s recommendation, implemented a ban on helicopter traffic over a four-mile stretch of the Potomac River.
Duffy told CNN on Friday that the Pentagon might need to consider ground transportation more frequently, suggesting it could be a safer alternative to potentially endangering commercial flights. He added that the air traffic controllers acted correctly by diverting the flights.
While the helicopter in Thursday’s incidents was not within the banned zone, planes at the airport are sometimes held for necessary helicopter flights – such as when President Donald Trump departs the White House on Marine One – which has led to flight delays and diversions.
Related Article: What’s the riskiest part of your flight? It isn’t cruising at 40,000 feet
“We remain concerned about the significant potential for a future midair collision,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at a briefing in March.
The collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and the Army Black Hawk helicopter occurred on January 29 under clear skies over some of the country’s busiest and most tightly controlled airspace.
Investigators stated that the passenger jet was moments away from touchdown when it was struck on the right side by the military helicopter at an altitude of approximately 300 feet. The helicopter was on a training mission at the time.
A preliminary analysis of the flight data and voice recorder on board the Black Hawk indicated that its altimeter may have been inaccurate, and the pilots may not have heard some communications from the Reagan National Airport control tower, NTSB officials reported last month.
Investigators have uncovered 15,214 “near miss events” nationwide between 2021 and 2024 where aircraft came within one nautical mile of colliding, with a vertical separation of less than 400 feet. Additionally, there were also 85 cases where two aircraft were separated by less than 1,500 feet, with a vertical separation of less than 200 feet, according to the NTSB.
