News

Army helicopter flights suspended near DCA after more aborted airline landings

By Dan Egitto and The Associated Press
A Black Hawk helicopter flies near the Pentagon on Thursday (via Dave Statter/X)

Helicopters flying near Reagan National Airport caused flight diversions yesterday (Sunday) and Thursday.

The first incident involved an Army Black Hawk helicopter taking a “scenic route around the Pentagon,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It caused two commercial aircraft to cancel landings and has drawn the ire of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The Army has paused all helicopter training flights near the Pentagon pending a review of Thursday’s incident, Reuters and CBS reported today.

Yesterday’s incident, meanwhile, involved a police helicopter responding to a car crash near the Key Bridge.

The aborted landings follow the deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and Army helicopter at Reagan National that killed 67 people. In March, the FAA announced that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying near the airport on the same route where the collision occurred.

Army helo takes roundabout route

Around 2 p.m. on Thursday, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 received instructions from air traffic control to “perform go-arounds” because of a “priority air transport” helicopter, according to an emailed statement from the FAA.

The aircraft were not within the restricted mixed traffic area of Reagan National, the FAA told members of Congress in a separate memo seen by The Associated Press. The agency also said it appeared the helicopter “took a scenic route around the Pentagon” and didn’t fly directly to the heliport.


Army spokesperson Capt. Victoria Goldfedib said in a statement that the UH-60 Blackhawk was following published FAA flight routes and air traffic control from Reagan National when it was “directed by Pentagon Air Traffic Control to conduct a ‘go-around,’ overflying the Pentagon helipad in accordance with approved flight procedures.”

As a result the other aircraft were given go-around instructions by air traffic control “to ensure the appropriate deconfliction of airspace,” Goldfedib said.

“The United States Army remains committed to aviation safety and conducting flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures,” she added.

Emma Johnson, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines, said that the safety of their customers and all people is most important and that they’ll “cooperate with authorities as they investigate.” Republic Airways said in a statement that it is also cooperating with the investigations.

In addition to the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA investigating what happened, Duffy said he plans to talk to the Department of Defense to determine why rules were “disregarded.”

“Safety must ALWAYS come first,” Duffy wrote on X. “We just lost 67 souls! No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians. Take a taxi or Uber — besides most VIPs have black car service.”

The FAA, which manages the nation’s airspace and oversees aviation safety, has come under criticism after the NTSB said there had been an alarming number of near misses in recent years in the congested skies around Reagan National.

The closure of the helicopter route near the airport makes permanent the restrictions put in place after the Jan. 29 midair collision. The FAA order includes a few exceptions for helicopter use, including presidential flights along with law enforcement and lifesaving missions.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said on X that Thursday’s incident showcased the danger that can come with Army helicopters flying close to the airport.

“Thank God there was a decisive response from air traffic controllers and pilots, or else these two close calls could have resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives,” he said.

Police helicopter responds to crash

Three days after the incident near the Pentagon, another helicopter entered the DCA airspace under very different circumstances around 11 a.m. yesterday.

It was a U.S. Park Police helicopter searching for people reported missing from a vehicle that had flipped over near the Key Bridge, The Washington Post reported. Air traffic controllers diverted three flights.

“The FAA does not allow helicopters and airplanes to simultaneously operate in the airspace around Reagan Washington National Airport except in rare circumstances,” the FAA said on X. “Accordingly, air traffic control cancelled landing clearances for three flights earlier today while a police helicopter was on an urgent mission in that airspace.”

All three flights landed without incident on their second approach.

About the Authors

  • Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.

  • Founded in 1846, the AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.