Latest news with #Braman
Time of India
25-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
'Went missing for 20 seconds': US Army on Black Hawk helicopter which lost contact with air traffic, caused commercial jets to abort landings
A US Army Black Hawk helicopter (File) The United States Army has revealed that an army helicopter which lost contact with military air traffic as it neared the Pentagon earlier this month, was off-radar for about 20 seconds. As a result, two commercial jets, which were to land at Washington's Ronald Reagan airport, were forced to abort the landings. The antenna was set up during construction of a new control tower and has now been moved to the roof of the Pentagon," The incident occurred on May 1. "The handlers lost contact with the Black Hawk because a temporary control tower antenna was not set up in a location where it would be able to maintain contact with the helicopter as it flew low and rounded the Pentagon to land," Brigadier General Matthew Braman, the head of Army aviation, told news agency AP. "Federal air traffic controllers inside the Washington airport also didn't have a good fix on the location of the helicopter. The Black Hawk was transmitting data that should have given them its precise location. FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) officials told me in last week that the data the controllers were getting from multiple feeds and sensors was inconclusive," Braman added. In the initial reporting on the aborted landings, an FAA official suggested the Black Hawk was on a 'scenic route.' However, the US Army's data shows the crew hewed closely to its approved flight path, directly up the I-395 highway corridor, also called "Route 5." The chopper then rounded the Pentagon, home to the US Department of Defense, in Washington DC. FAA air traffic controllers at the Ronald Reagan airport subsequently aborted the landing of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170. The aborted landings adde to general unease about continued close calls between government helicopters and commercial airplanes near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a deadly mid-air collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter, which killed 67 people. In March, the aviation authority permanently restricted choppers from flying on the route where the collision occurred. After the May 1 incident, the US Army paused all flights into and out of the Pentagon as it works with the FAA to address safety issues.
Epoch Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
2 Jets Aborted Landings at DC Airport After Pentagon Lost Contact With Army Helicopter
Military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army Black Hawk helicopter for about 20 seconds as it approached the Pentagon on May 1, which resulted in two commercial jets aborting their landings at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a top Army official has said. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, head of Army aviation, said the loss of contact occurred because a temporary control tower antenna was not positioned to maintain communication with the helicopter as it flew low and rounded the Pentagon to land. He said the antenna had been set up during construction of a new control tower and has since been moved to the Pentagon's roof to prevent a recurrence. Braman also said that federal air traffic controllers inside the airport did not have a good fix on the helicopter's location. Although the Black Hawk was transmitting data that should have given controllers its precise position, Braman said FAA officials told him that the data from multiple feeds and sensors was inconclusive, with some of it deviating by as much as three-quarters of a mile. 'It certainly led to confusion of air traffic control of where they were,' Braman said. A spokesperson for the FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NTD News, sister media of The Epoch Times, confirming whether controllers were able to accurately locate the helicopter's location at that time. According to Braman, FAA air traffic controllers at the airport aborted the landing of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 during the Black Hawk's initial approach because both aircraft would have been near the Pentagon at the same time. Related Stories 5/21/2025 5/16/2025 Due to the 20-second loss of contact, the Pentagon's tower did not clear the Black Hawk to land, forcing the helicopter to circle the Pentagon a second time. During this second approach, controllers at the airport decided to abort the landing of a second jet, a Republic Airways Embraer E170, because they still did not have a confident fix on the Black Hawk's location, according to Braman. The incident has intensified concerns about the safety of the airspace around the busy Washington airport, coming just months after a midair collision in January between an Army helicopter and a passenger jet that killed 67 people. Helicopter Flights Suspended Following the incident, the Army on May 5 The suspension affects the 12th Aviation Battalion, which is responsible for evacuating top political officials in emergencies, a Department of Defense official confirmed to The Epoch Times. The FAA confirmed the incident and said it and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate. At the time of the incident, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized the Pentagon on social media. 'Unacceptable. Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear. I'll be talking to the Department of Defense to ask why ... our rules were disregarded,' Duffy 'Safety must ALWAYS come first. 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.' Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also said in a May 3 '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,' Cruz said. In a statement regarding the same incident, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), ranking member on the Commerce Committee, said, 'It is far past time for [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth and the FAA to give our airspace the security and safety attention it deserves.' In March, the FAA permanently closed one key route and banned the use of two smaller runways at the airport whenever helicopters conduct urgent missions or operate nearby. The Associated Press contributed to this report. From NTD News
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
US Pentagon lost contact with helicopter causing jets to nix DC airport landing
Military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on the flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings this month at a Washington airport, the Army told The Associated Press on Friday. The aborted landings on May 1 added to general unease about continued close calls between government helicopters and commercial airplanes near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people. Also Read: Another close call at Reagan Airport: Plane carrying lawmakers struck by aircraft| Video In March, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying on the same route where the collision occurred. After the May 1 incident, the Army paused all flights into and out of the Pentagon as it works with the FAA to address safety issues. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the head of Army aviation, told the AP in an exclusive interview that the controllers lost contact with the Black Hawk because a temporary control tower antenna was not set up in a location where it would be able to maintain contact with the helicopter as it flew low and rounded the Pentagon to land. He said the antenna was set up during construction of a new control tower and has now been moved to the roof of the Pentagon. Also Read: Who is Lue Elizondo? The ex-Pentagon official behind the controversial '1,000-foot UFO' photo Braman said federal air traffic controllers inside the Washington airport also didn't have a good fix on the location of the helicopter. The Black Hawk was transmitting data that should have given controllers its precise location, but Braman said FAA officials told him in meetings last week that the data the controllers were getting from multiple feeds and sensors was inconclusive, with some of it deviating by as much as three-quarters of a mile. 'It certainly led to confusion of air traffic control of where they were,' Braman said. Former FAA and NTSB crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti said he thinks the air traffic controller did the right thing by ordering the two planes to go around that day. Also Read: Who is Jo Ellis? Trans Black Hawk pilot wrongly named in crash breaks silence; 'I don't deserve this' 'The Army, to me, seems to be attempting to sidestep some of their responsibility here. And it just sounds like excuses to say 'Hey, we had our ADS-B on and that should have been enough for them to see where we were.' That sounds too simplistic to me,' Guzzetti said. The FAA declined to comment on whether its controllers could not get a good fix on the Black Hawk's location due to their own equipment issues, citing the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is pushing to have the agency modernize its air traffic control systems and equipment, which has failed controllers responsible for Newark Liberty Internal Airport's airspace at critical moments in recent weeks. In the initial reporting on the aborted landings, an FAA official suggested the Army helicopter was on a 'scenic route.' But the ADS-B-Out data, which the Army shared with the AP on Friday, shows the crew hewed closely to its approved flight path — directly up the I-395 highway corridor, which is called Route 5, then rounding the Pentagon. FAA air traffic controllers at the airport aborted the landing of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 during the Black Hawk's initial flight toward the Pentagon because they realized both aircraft would be nearing the Pentagon around the same time, Braman said. Because of the 20-second loss of contact, the Pentagon's tower did not clear the Black Hawk to land, so the helicopter circled the Pentagon a second time. That's when air traffic controllers at the airport decided to abort the landing of a second jet, a Republic Airways Embraer E170, because they did not have a confident fix on the Black Hawk's location, Braman said.
San Francisco Chronicle
23-05-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pentagon lost contact with Army helicopter on flight that caused jets to nix landings at DC airport
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on the flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings this month at a Washington airport, the Army told The Associated Press on Friday. The aborted landings on May 1 added to general unease about continued close calls between government helicopters and commercial airplanes near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people. In March, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying on the same route where the collision occurred. After the May 1 incident, the Army paused all flights into and out of the Pentagon as it works with the FAA to address safety issues. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the head of Army aviation, told the AP in an exclusive interview that the controllers lost contact with the Black Hawk because a temporary control tower antenna was not set up in a location where it would be able to maintain contact with the helicopter as it flew low and rounded the Pentagon to land. He said the antenna was set up during construction of a new control tower and has now been moved to the roof of the Pentagon. Braman said federal air traffic controllers inside the Washington airport also didn't have a good fix on the location of the helicopter. The Black Hawk was transmitting data that should have given controllers its precise location, but Braman said FAA officials told him in meetings last week that the data the controllers were getting from multiple feeds and sensors was inconclusive, with some of it deviating by as much as three-quarters of a mile. 'It certainly led to confusion of air traffic control of where they were,' Braman said. Former FAA and NTSB crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti said he thinks the air traffic controller did the right thing by ordering the two planes to go around that day. 'The Army, to me, seems to be attempting to sidestep some of their responsibility here. And it just sounds like excuses to say 'Hey, we had our ADS-B on and that should have been enough for them to see where we were.' That sounds too simplistic to me,' Guzzetti said. The FAA declined to comment on whether its controllers could not get a good fix on the Black Hawk's location due to their own equipment issues, citing the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is pushing to have the agency modernize its air traffic control systems and equipment, which has failed controllers responsible for Newark Liberty Internal Airport's airspace at critical moments in recent weeks. In the initial reporting on the aborted landings, an FAA official suggested the Army helicopter was on a 'scenic route.' But the ADS-B-Out data, which the Army shared with the AP on Friday, shows the crew hewed closely to its approved flight path — directly up the I-395 highway corridor, which is called Route 5, then rounding the Pentagon. FAA air traffic controllers at the airport aborted the landing of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 during the Black Hawk's initial flight toward the Pentagon because they realized both aircraft would be nearing the Pentagon around the same time, Braman said. Because of the 20-second loss of contact, the Pentagon's tower did not clear the Black Hawk to land, so the helicopter circled the Pentagon a second time. That's when air traffic controllers at the airport decided to abort the landing of a second jet, a Republic Airways Embraer E170, because they did not have a confident fix on the Black Hawk's location, Braman said. —-
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pentagon lost contact with Army helo that caused DC jet diversions
Military air traffic controllers lost contact with an Army helicopter for about 20 seconds as it neared the Pentagon on the flight that caused two commercial jets to abort their landings this month at a Washington airport, the Army told The Associated Press on Friday. The aborted landings on May 1 added to general unease about continued close calls between government helicopters and commercial airplanes near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people. In March, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying on the same route where the collision occurred. After the May 1 incident, the Army paused all flights into and out of the Pentagon as it works with the FAA to address safety issues. Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, the head of Army aviation, told the AP in an exclusive interview that the controllers lost contact with the Black Hawk because a temporary control tower antenna was not set up in a location where it would be able to maintain contact with the helicopter as it flew low and rounded the Pentagon to land. He said the antenna was set up during construction of a new control tower and has now been moved to the roof of the Pentagon. Braman said federal air traffic controllers inside the Washington airport also didn't have a good fix on the location of the helicopter. The Black Hawk was transmitting data that should have given controllers its precise location, but Braman said FAA officials told him in meetings last week that the data the controllers were getting from multiple feeds and sensors was inconclusive, with some of it deviating by as much as three-quarters of a mile. 'It certainly led to confusion of air traffic control of where they were,' Braman said. The FAA declined to comment on whether its controllers could not get a good fix on the Black Hawk's location due to their own equipment issues, citing the ongoing crash investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is pushing to have the agency modernize its air traffic control systems and equipment, which has failed controllers responsible for Newark Liberty International Airport's airspace at critical moments in recent weeks. In the initial reporting on the aborted landings, an FAA official suggested the Army helicopter was on a 'scenic route.' But the ADSB-Out data, which the Army shared with the AP on Friday, shows the crew hewed closely to its approved flight path — directly up the I-395 highway corridor, which is called Route 5, then rounding the Pentagon. FAA air traffic controllers at the airport aborted the landing of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 during the Black Hawk's initial flight toward the Pentagon because they realized both aircraft would be nearing the Pentagon around the same time, Braman said. Because of the 20-second loss of contact, the Pentagon's tower did not clear the Black Hawk to land, so the helicopter circled the Pentagon a second time. That's when air traffic controllers at the airport decided to abort the landing of a second jet, a Republic Airways Embraer E170, because they did not have a confident fix on the Black Hawk's location, Braman said.
