The Army put helicopter flights to the Pentagon on hold on Monday after another incident last week forced air traffic controllers to divert two commercial planes that were preparing to land at Reagan National Airport (DCA), POLITICO reported.
The 12th Aviation Battalion, which transports political and military VIPs, will not be allowed to fly near DCA as the Army conducts an internal inquiry after a military helicopter reportedly “took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport” last Thursday. The incident prompted commercial flights to abort their landings, according to POLITICO, which cited “an email sent by an FAA official.”
Last week’s aborted landings came just over three months after an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines plane near DCA, killing all 64 people aboard the plane and all three helicopter pilots.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday that the Army helicopters’ “scenic route” was “unacceptable,” adding that he would speak with the Defense Department “to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.” An Army spokesman disputed that the flight was “scenic,” calling the characterization “inappropriate,” according to The Washington Post. According to the Army official, the helicopter had been approved to land at the Pentagon, but was asked by the Pentagon flight tower to circle again before landing. The helicopter’s second pass appears to have caused air traffic controllers at DCA to divert two planes’ landings, the Army spokesman said.
The helicopter’s flight on Thursday was done “in accordance with published FAA flight routes,” according to the Army.
Congressional leaders called on the Army and the FAA to prevent more dangerous incidents between military helicopters and commercial aircraft around DCA. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the Army was “once again putting the traveling public at risk.”
“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,” Cruz (R-TX) added. “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.”
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), chairman of the aviation subcommittee, said, “The tragic accident at DCA in January and the data that has come to light on near-misses at DCA over the last four years overwhelmingly demonstrate that new safety measures must be implemented before military helicopters resume operations near the airport. … The Army and FAA need to reevaluate their operations and return to Capitol Hill to explain what needs to be done to make certain the DCA airspace is safe. We already had a tragedy that should not have happened.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) added, “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. It is far past time for [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth and the FAA to give our airspace the security and safety attention it deserves.”
