Aborted landings due to Army helicopter near Reagan airport
'unacceptable,' top official says
[May 03, 2025]
By HALLIE GOLDEN
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that it is
“unacceptable” that two commercial aircraft had to abort landings at a
Washington airport this week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter
that was flying to the Pentagon.
In addition to the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal
Aviation Administration investigating what happened Thursday afternoon
at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Duffy said he plans to
talk to the Department of Defense to determine why rules were
“disregarded.”
The aborted landings follow a deadly midair collision in January between
a passenger jet and Army helicopter in Washington that killed 67 people.
In March, the FAA announced that helicopters would be permanently
restricted from flying near Reagan National on the same route where the
collision occurred.
“Safety must ALWAYS come first,” Duffy said on the social platform 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.”
Thursday's incident involved a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a
Republic Airways Embraer E170, according to the NTSB. They were
instructed around 2:30 p.m. by 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.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a news conference,
March 11, 2025, at the Department of Transportation in Washington.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)
“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.
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.
Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the ranking member of
the committee, which oversees the FAA, said the helicopter came from
the same Army brigade involved in the January crash and took place
less than a week after the brigade resumed flights in the area
around the capital.
“It is far past time" for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the FAA
to “give our airspace the security and safety attention it
deserves,” she said.
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