A military helicopter's unconventional flight path near the Pentagon leads to two close encounters with commercial aircraft at one of America's busiest airports.
According to the New York Post, an Army Black Hawk helicopter came dangerously close to two passenger jets at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after the pilot decided to take a "scenic route" around the Pentagon, forcing both commercial flights to abort their landing attempts.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon when Delta Flight 1671 and Republic Flight 5825 were forced to execute emergency maneuvers while on their final approach. Both commercial aircraft were less than two miles from touchdown when air traffic controllers directed them to perform "go-arounds" due to the helicopter's proximity. The Black Hawk came within 200 feet of one jet and 400 feet of the other, prompting immediate concerns from aviation authorities.
The alarming incident has drawn sharp criticism from officials, particularly because it involved the same Army unit responsible for a devastating collision three months ago. That January crash between an Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines jet resulted in 67 fatalities, marking the deadliest U.S. air disaster since 2001.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy condemned the recent incident as "unacceptable." The situation has also caught the attention of lawmakers, with some demanding immediate action to prevent future occurrences.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) expressed her concerns about the incident:
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.
The situation was further complicated by technical difficulties with the helicopter's tracking system. Air traffic controllers temporarily lost the ability to monitor the Black Hawk's real-time position on their radar screens, creating additional safety concerns.
The helicopter's Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology experienced problems during the flight. The radar track "inadvertently floated and jumped to a different location" on the controller feed after becoming unresponsive for several seconds.
The FAA has categorized these events as "loss of separation" incidents, indicating a breach of minimum safe distance requirements between aircraft. However, officials noted that none of the aircraft entered restricted airspace during the incident.
The Army has acknowledged the incident but cautions against premature conclusions. They emphasized the importance of waiting for the investigation's completion before assigning blame.
The military's position was clearly stated in their response to the incident:
It is irresponsible to take snippets of information and present them in a way that casts blame on any individual or group. The events of January 29th were tragic, and the Army is committed to a full and thorough investigation that will provide fact-based conclusions so we can ensure an accident such as this is never repeated.
The Army Black Hawk helicopter's unconventional route around the Pentagon on Thursday resulted in dangerous proximity to two commercial flights at Reagan National Airport, forcing both to abort their landing attempts. The incident has sparked renewed concerns about military aviation safety, particularly following January's fatal crash involving the same unit.
As investigations continue into both incidents, officials are working to determine whether the Army violated airspace rules and what measures might be needed to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
