Latest news with #12thAviationBattalion
BBC News
14-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Pentagon hotline linked to DC airport traffic control 'inoperable' since 2022
A hotline supposed to connect the Pentagon with local air traffic controllers in Washington DC has been "inoperable" since 2022, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official has testified. At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, FAA officials said they only learned of the problem this month after controllers at Ronald Reagan national airport had to wave off two flights attempting to land because of a nearby US Army incident came just a week after a nearby army aviation unit said it would resume training flights. Those flights were paused following a January crash between a military helicopter and passenger plane at the airport that left 67 dead. Deputy air traffic control head Franklin McIntosh told senators that the hotline was operated by the defence department and that his agency had been unaware of any problems. It is believed to have been functioning properly before March 2022. "We're insisting that line be fixed before we resume any operations out of the Pentagon," Mr McIntosh added. Additionally, he said that, after the aborted landing incident, officials mulled mandating that military flights in the area needed to be cleared by the FAA before taking off. Before that could take place, the commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion - which ferries senior Pentagon officials around Washington DC - announced on 5 May that the unit was again pausing flights. The 29 January midair crash starkly highlighted concerns about coordination in the congested skies near Washington. All 64 people aboard the American Airlines-operated plane died, as well as three crew members of Blackhawk Helicopter which had taken off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia on a training mission. In the more recent incidents earlier this month, two aircraft from Delta and Republic Airways were told by air traffic controllers to perform "go-arounds" because of an approaching Army helicopter, similar to the one that had been involved in the crash. The FAA, along with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the recent near-misses. The NTSB had previously faulted the FAA for failing to take action despite 85 close calls near Reagan airport in the three-years before the January crash. Between 2011 and 2024, planes received alerts to take evasive actions at a rate of about one per week, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said in March. The FAA is also carrying out a review of helicopter traffic at high-risk airports around the country, including Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas.
The Independent
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Army pausing helicopter flights near Washington airport after close calls
The Army is pausing flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon. The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause flight operations around Ronald Reagan National Airport following Thursday's close calls, two Army officials confirmed to The Associated Press. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not publicly announced. The unit is continuing to fly in the greater Washington, D.C., region. It comes after 67 people died in January when a passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan airport.
Associated Press
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Army pausing helicopter flights near Washington airport after close calls
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is pausing flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon. The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion directed the unit to pause flight operations around Ronald Reagan National Airport following Thursday's close calls, two Army officials confirmed to The Associated Press. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not publicly announced. The unit is continuing to fly in the greater Washington, D.C., region. It comes after 67 people died in January when a passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan airport.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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.
Washington Post
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Army suspends helicopter flights to Pentagon after airliners abort landings
The Army said Monday that a Virginia-based helicopter unit was suspending flights to the Pentagon after an incident last week that led to two airliners being directed to abort landings at Reagan National Airport. Army spokeswoman Heather Chairez said the service's 12th Aviation Battalion was suspending the operations until an internal inquiry is completed. The battalion operates a fleet of Black Hawk helicopters and was the unit involved in the Jan. 29 midair crash with an American Airlines flight that killed 67 people.
