Three months after the deadliest aviation disaster in more than two decades, two passengers planes were forced to abort their landings at Reagan National Airport after an Army Black Hawk helicopter veered off course.
The two commercial airliners were both forced into last-second go-arounds on Thursday afternoon when the Army aircraft deviated from its approved flight path flying dangerously close to the arriving passenger jets.
The incident is particularly alarming given its parallels to the January disaster in which another Army Black Hawk collided midair with an American Eagle CRJ-700, killing 67 people in the worst US aviation accident since 2001.
This time, Delta flight DL5825, from Boston, operated by a Republic Airways Embraer EMB-170, was on final approach, descending through around 450 feet, when the crew was instructed to go around.
Immediately following them was Delta flight DL1671, from Orlando, flown by an Airbus A319.
The aircraft was also on final approach and descending through around 700 feet when its crew was also instructed to go around.
The proximity was chilling with as little as 0.4 miles horizontally and just 200 feet vertically between one of the commercial jets and the Black Hawk, according to an FAA email obtained by Politico.
Both planes were on final approach when air traffic controllers ordered them to abort their landings around 2:30pm at the crowded Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.
Two passengers planes have been forced to abort their landings at Reagan Washington National Airport after an Army Black Hawk helicopter veered off course (file photo)
Delta flight DL5825, from Boston, operated by a Republic Airways Embraer EMB-170, pictured, was on final approach, descending through around 450 feet, when the crew was instructed to go around
Immediately following them was Delta flight DL1671, from Orlando, flown by an Airbus A319, pictured, The aircraft was also on final approach and descending through around 700 feet when its crew was also instructed to go around
‘The helicopter took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport,’ FAA official Chris Senn wrote in an internal memo.
He classified the event as a ‘loss of separation,’ an official term for a breach of the minimum distance required between aircraft – and a potentially catastrophic safety violation.
The Federal Aviation Administration released a formal statement confirming the close call and said that it had launched a full investigation.
‘Air traffic control instructed Delta Air Lines Flight 1671 and Republic Airways 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.’
The National Transportation Safety Board also issued its own terse update.
‘NTSB investigating Thursday’s incidents at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in which a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 were instructed by air traffic control to perform go-arounds due to a US Army Black Hawk helicopter inbound to the Pentagon.’
When contacted, the Army said it was ‘aware of yesterday’s incident,’ but referred further questions to the Military District of Washington, which oversees Army operations in the capital.
The Pentagon has not yet commented publicly, although sources confirmed that it was the same aviation brigade involved in the January 29 fatal Black Hawk crash that was behind Thursday’s near miss.
Both planes were on final approach when air traffic controllers ordered them to abort their landings around 2:30pm at the crowded Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy didn’t mince words after being briefed on the near-miss
There is rising public anger over repeated lapses in safety protocols – especially in one of the nation’s most complex and crowded airspaces
Reagan National airport is one of the busiest airports in the country and stretched to its limit
In the January crash, investigators discovered the military helicopter’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) system – which tracks altitude, speed, and position – had been turned off, likely due to outdated Army policies that required commander approval for broadcast activation during ‘sensitive’ missions.
In March, Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman admitted during a Senate hearing that the Army’s ADS-B usage policy was ‘inconsistent,’ prompting bipartisan condemnation.
At the time of the collision, a single air traffic controller at Reagan Airport was simultaneously monitoring both the helicopter and plane traffic.
The Army has warned against placing any blame prematurely.
‘It is irresponsible to take snippets of information and present them in a way that casts blame on any individual or group,’ the Army said in a statement to the New York Times.
‘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.’
In Thursday’s incident, the Black Hawk was broadcasting ADS-B, but even that wasn’t enough to prevent complete confusion in the control tower.
According to FAA official Senn, the helicopter’s radar ‘floated and jumped to a different location on the controller feed after being unresponsive for a couple seconds.’
That radar glitch occurred just as the Republic Airways flight was 1.7 miles from the runway.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy didn’t mince words after being briefed on the near-miss.
‘This is unacceptable,’ Duffy declared on X. ‘The helicopter restrictions around Reagan are crystal clear. I’ll be speaking to the Department of Defense to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.
‘Safety must ALWAYS come first. We just lost 67 souls!’ Duffy wrote.
The incident is particularly alarming given its parallels to the January disaster in which an Army Black Hawk collided midair with an American Eagle CRJ-700, killing 67. Pictured, rescue and salvage crews pull up a part of a Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an AA jet
A crane retrieves part of the wreckage from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia in January
He added: ‘No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in congested DCA airspace full of civilians. Take a taxi or Uber – besides, most VIPs have black car service.’
While Thursday’s flight was reportedly part of a training exercise, not a VIP transport, Duffy’s fury captured the rising public anger over repeated lapses in safety protocols – especially in one of the nation’s most complex and crowded airspaces.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), chair of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee, issued a scathing rebuke on Friday afternoon.
‘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.’
Cantwell demanded the Pentagon and FAA prioritize airspace security and called the latest breach ‘an unforgivable error that put civilian lives at risk.’
According to FAA data, the Army helicopter had been cleared for a direct path to the Pentagon helipad but inexplicably opted for a ‘scenic route’ around the Pentagon, triggering a host of airspace complications for multiple aircraft already cleared to land.
Air traffic controllers were forced to act fast and bot aircraft aborted their landings.
They had circled back around for a safe landing around 10 minutes later.
Although no passengers were harmed, the incident has once again sent shockwaves through aviation circles.
Behind the scenes, multiple sources confirm that controllers were stretched thin, even as the tower had a full team on duty: one supervisor, four certified professional controllers, and a trainee.
But as air traffic becomes increasingly complex, with layered restrictions, drone zones, VIP operations, and military activity, the system appears to be showing signs of strain.
Reagan National has been understaffed for many years, with just 19 fully certified controllers as of September 2023 – well below the target of 30 – according to the most recent Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan submitted to Congress.
The situation appeared to have improved since then, as a source told CNN the Reagan National control tower was 85 percent staffed with 24 of 28 positions filled.
DailyMail.com revealed in March that two air traffic controllers had even traded punches when a fight erupted inside the control tower at Reagan National.
The airspace around the busy airport is often filled with domestic flights and military aircraft that regularly experience close calls.
Surveillance footage taken from inside the airport captured the moment the two planes collided in midair in January
Recent incidents at Reagan also include a near collision in May 2024 involving an American Airlines plane that was cleared for takeoff as an incoming King Air plane had been cleared for landing on a nearby runway.
The month prior, another near-miss occurred between JetBlue and Southwest planes that nearly collided on a runway.
In 2024 alone, the airport experienced at least eight near-midair collisions, according to Federal Aviation Administration data reported by the The New York Times reported.