Army suspends helicopter flights near Reagan National airport after DOT's complaints about safety
The Army on Monday said it has suspended helicopter flights into the Pentagon, following an incident last week involving a military helicopter flying near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that prompted air traffic controllers to divert two commercial flights that had been attempting to land.
The suspension affects helicopter operations out of the 12th Aviation Battalion, which is tasked with evacuating political VIPs during an emergency, pending an internal inquiry, said Lt. Col. Patrick Husted, spokesperson for the unit that oversees Army operations within the nation's capital. A Black Hawk helicopter from that same battalion collided with an airliner near Reagan National earlier this year, killing all 67 people on board both aircraft.
According to an email sent by an FAA official Friday, an Army helicopter — also a Black Hawk — 'took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport' on Thursday, prompting controllers at Reagan National to call for passenger planes to twice abort their landings.
The incident sparked the the ire of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who on Friday took to social media to call the flight "unacceptable" — and said he'd be talking to the Defense Department 'to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.'
Operations at the airport have been under intense scrutiny since the January crash, and its cause remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. At Duffy's direction, DOT has already shuttered some helicopter flight routes near the airport, and managers in the control tower at the airport have been reassigned.
Last week's incident additionally sparked bipartisan outrage among lawmakers who are also probing the disaster, among other close calls concerning the airport.
'The Army is once again putting the traveling public at risk,' Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in an X post Friday. He added that he's 'committed' to crafting legislation that would protect Reagan National travelers.
The FAA on Monday did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Army decision to suspend Pentagon flights.
Following the incident, the Army said it had conducted the Thursday helicopter flight 'in accordance with published FAA flight routes.' Capt. Victoria Goldfedib, U.S. Army spokesperson, said that Pentagon controllers directed the helicopter to perform a go-around, flying over the helipad — which then prompted Reagan National controllers to take action to 'ensure the appropriate deconfliction of airspace.'
Goldfedib said the Army 'remains committed to aviation safety and conducting flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures' as the incident remains under investigation.
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