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Time of India
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Black Hawk chopper mid-air scare near Pentagon with two airlines put more than 200 lives at risk
An US Army Black Hawk helicopter caused a safety scare on May 1 when it flew dangerously close to two commercial airliners preparing to land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Inside Operation Tupac: Pakistan's secret project to burn Kashmir Who is Asim Munir, the Zia-style general shaping Pakistan's faith-driven military revival 'Looking for partners, not preachers': India's strong message for EU amid LoC tensions The helicopter took what officials called a "scenic route" around the Pentagon instead of flying directly to its landing spot. As a result, air traffic controllers ordered Delta Flight 1671, which can carry up to 144 people, and Republic Flight 5825, which typically seats around 66 to 78 passengers, to perform emergency "go-arounds" just two miles from landing. Although the exact number of passengers has not been confirmed, a lot of people were at risk at that moment. Both flights were on final approach around 2:30 p.m. local time when the helicopter entered their airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said the Army aircraft was as close as 200 feet vertically and 0.4 miles horizontally from the Republic flight. It also came within less than a mile and 400 feet of the Delta plane. 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Neurologists: These Shoes Are the Best Thing You Can Do for Your Body After 60 Foot Insider Learn More Undo FAA official Chris Senn said the helicopter's flight path caused a "loss of separation," meaning it violated minimum safe distance standards. He also noted the helicopter was not within the airport's restricted mixed traffic area. To make matters worse, radar tracking failed momentarily. According to Senn, the helicopter's location 'floated and jumped' on the controller's screen, making it hard to track in real time. Five air traffic workers, including one trainee, were on duty at the time. Live Events The U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, condemned the event. In a post on X, he wrote: 'Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear. 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.' This incident happened just three months after a fatal crash between another Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines jet at the same airport, killing all 67 on board. US Senator Maria Cantwell called the new incident 'outrageous' and added that the Pentagon and the FAA must pay more attention to airspace safety. An Army spokesperson said the helicopter was following directions from Pentagon Air Traffic Control and acted according to approved flight procedures. The National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) is now investigating the incident with the help of the FAA.
New York Post
04-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Army Black Hawk helicopter causes 2 terrifying near-misses with airliners at Reagan airport after taking the ‘scenic route'
An Army Black Hawk helicopter caused two near-misses with airliners at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last week — including passing as little as 200 feet from one jet — after the pilot took 'the scenic route' to the Pentagon, according to authorities. The terrifying incident at one of America's most crowded airports comes three months after the same kind of Army chopper from the same unit was involved in a mid-air collision with an American Airlines jet, killing 67 people. Officials and politicians were quick to blast the Army for the incident — with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calling it 'unacceptable.' On Thursday, the commercial planes — Delta Flight 1671 and Republic Flight 5825 — were rerouted just moments before they were due to land at Reagan due to the proximity of the helicopter, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. 5 An Army Black Hawk helicopter forced two passenger jets to change course at the last moment this week. Getty Images Both flights were on their final approach less than two miles from the runway at around 2:30 p.m, authorities said. The Black Hawk 'took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport,' the FAA's assistant administrator for government and industry affairs Chris Senn wrote in an email on Friday, Politico reported. At one point, the helicopter got between 200 and 2,100 feet from the Republic flight, and between 400 to 2,600 feet the Delta plane, Senn wrote. '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,' Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) told Politico. She called on the Pentagon and the FAA 'to give our airspace the security and safety attention it deserves.' During Thursday's close-call FAA controllers told the two commercial flights to make 'go-arounds' as they approached Reagan National Airport — that is, break off their landings, circle back and try again. 5 The incident took place on Thursday as two jets began their final approach into Ronald Reagan National Airport. REUTERS 5 It comes just three months after 67 died following a collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight over DC. Getty Images The trouble came in part because controllers temporarily couldn't pinpoint the Black Hawk's tracking position in real-time on their radar screens, Senn went on. At the time, the control tower had one supervisor, four certified professional controllers and one certified professional trainee receiving on-the-job training, Senn said. The Army was using its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, which gives air traffic controllers up-to-date information about an aircraft's altitude, location and speed. The radar track on board the helicopter 'inadvertently floated and jumped to a different location on the controller feed after being unresponsive for a couple seconds,' he said. The incidents were categorized as 'loss of separation,' meaning a breach of minimum safe distance between aircraft, Senn added. None of the aircraft 'the restricted mixed traffic area' around Reagan National, Senn added. Despite that, the FAA is still investigating whether the Army helicopter flight violated airspace rules. The Jan. 29 collision over the Potomac River in Washington, DC — which preliminary reports have blamed on the military Black Hawk flying too high — was the deadliest US air disaster since 2001, and caused officials to change the flight path of helicopters near the airport. 5 Investigations are underway as to whether the Army violated its flight approvals. REUTERS 5 The probe into January's crash is expected to take over a year to complete. NurPhoto via Getty Images The ADS-B system, in particular, has been under increased scrutiny since January after investigators alleged that it was turned off at the time of the deadly crash. The cause of January's crash remains under investigation and the probe by the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to take at least a year to complete. The Army has said it is aware of Thursday's incident, but warned against 'speculating' about potential causes or contributing factors prior to the completion of the investigation. 'It is irresponsible to take snippets of information and present them in a way that casts blame on any individual or group,' the Army said in a statement to the New York Times. 'The events of January 29th were tragic, and the Army is committed to a full and thorough investigation that will provide fact-based conclusions so we can ensure an accident such as this is never repeated.'
