Latest news with #MorganDurrant
CNN
01-04-2025
- General
- CNN
Collision warning sounds in cockpit of Delta plane due to close call with Air Force jet near Reagan National Airport
A close call between a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and a US Air Force T-38 jet, often used by the military for training, sounded alarms in the cockpit of the passenger plane Friday. Delta 2983 was departing Reagan Airport around 3:15 p.m. and heading to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for a regularly scheduled flight. Delta did not identify the other jet involved, but a review of tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows an Air Force T-38 jet flying past the Delta plane and DCA airport going more than 350 miles per hour at 800 feet. The military jet took off and landed at Langley Air Force Base, in Hampton, Virginia. CNN has asked the Air Force for comment. The Delta aircraft was cleared for takeoff at around 3:15 p.m. ET, while four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover, the FAA said in a statement. The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby and air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft, the FAA reported. The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the incident. A preliminary NTSB report will be issued within 30 days. The close call happened just south of DCA airport, close to the spot where an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided, killing 67 people, on January 29. At a congressional hearing on Thursday Senators demanded to know why close calls between military helicopters and passenger planes went unchecked for so long at DCA. The NTSB said investigators uncovered more than 15,000 occurrences for close proximity events between commercial airplanes and helicopters between 2021 and 2024 where aircraft were within one nautical mile and 85 cases where two aircraft were separated by only 1,500 feet vertically and 200 feet laterally. The FAA has since closed a helicopter route by the airport and Thursday vowed to required military aircraft near DCA to fly with specific collision avoidance equipment turned on. But that wasn't enough to prevent today's close call as the Delta plane was taking off. 'On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 ft below us as we came off of DCA,' the Delta pilot asked air traffic controllers on audio captured by website 'Delta 2983, affirmative,' the Departure controller responds. The pilot also noted they received a warning in the cockpit, called a 'resolution advisory' from the plane's Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. The system tells a pilot what to do to avoid a collision. 'Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people,' said Morgan Durrant, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines. 'That's why the flight crew followed procedures to maneuver the aircraft as instructed.' Two pilots, three flight attendants and 131 passengers were on board the Delta aircraft.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plane and US Air Force jet almost collide over same airport where helicopter struck passenger jet
A commercial aircraft almost collided with a US Air Force jet near the Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, DC on Friday, just weeks after a deadly crash in the area. Shortly after the Delta Airlines flight departed from the airport at 3.15pm local time (7.17pm UK), warning alarms began to sound in the plane's cockpit which signalled a high risk of collision with another aircraft. The passenger aircraft was just south of Washington, DC over Alexandria, Virginia, when a US Air Force jet flew past it at 350 miles per hour, CNN reported. The two planes missed each other by about 500 feet. The incident comes two months after a fatal collision between a commercial flight and a Black Hawk helicopter, which killed all 67 people on board in the deadliest plane crash in the US since 2001. On audio from the air traffic control site the Delta pilot can be heard asking: 'On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us as we came off of DCA?' 'Delta 2983, affirmative,' an air traffic controller replied. The pilot then mentions receiving a warning from the plane's traffic alert and collision avoidance system, which informs pilots how to manoeuvre the plane to evade another aircraft. The Air Force jet had been flying to and from a base in Langley, Virginia. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident. In a statement to USA Today, the FAA said: 'Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for take-off at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 3.15pm. local time on Friday, March 28, while four US Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover. 'The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft.' Delta confirmed the near-collision and praised the response of the pilot and crew. Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, said: 'Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people. 'That's why the flight crew followed procedures to manoeuvre the aircraft as instructed.' The crash at the Washington airport in January has renewed debate over the overcrowded airspace nearby, which had been a matter of concern for years. A military helicopter and plane collided in a fiery explosion over the Potomac River near Washington just as the plane was descending toward the airport. The crew of the helicopter were testing night vision goggles on a training flight. The helicopter had exceeded its height restrictions at the time of the crash. Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB), said preliminary analysis of the Black Hawk's black box suggested that altitude data in the cockpit may have been inaccurate. Ms Homendy said an investigation by the NTSB found that the separation distance between planes and helicopters was 'insufficient and poses an intolerable risk to aviation safety'. Between October 2021 and December 2024, the NTSB recorded 15,214 instances of planes and helicopters flying in overly close proximity. The NTSB recommended a ban on helicopters flying above the airport. The Telegraph has approached Delta, the FAA and the US Air Force for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
29-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Plane and US Air Force jet almost collide over same airport where helicopter struck passenger jet
A commercial aircraft almost collided with a US Air Force jet near the Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, DC on Friday, just weeks after a deadly crash in the area. Shortly after the Delta Airlines flight departed from the airport at 3.15pm local time (7.17pm UK), warning alarms began to sound in the plane's cockpit which signalled a high risk of collision with another aircraft. The passenger aircraft was just south of Washington, DC over Alexandria, Virginia, when a US Air Force jet flew past it at 350 miles per hour, CNN reported. The two planes missed each other by about 500 feet. The incident comes two months after a fatal collision between a commercial flight and a Black Hawk helicopter, which killed all 67 people on board in the deadliest plane crash in the US since 2001. 'Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us?' On audio from the air traffic control site the Delta pilot can be heard asking: 'On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us as we came off of DCA?' 'Delta 2983, affirmative,' an air traffic controller replied. The pilot then mentions receiving a warning from the plane's traffic alert and collision avoidance system, which informs pilots how to manoeuvre the plane to evade another aircraft. The Air Force jet had been flying to and from a base in Langley, Virginia. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the incident. In a statement to USA Today, the FAA said: 'Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for take-off at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 3.15pm. local time on Friday, March 28, while four US Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover. 'The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft.' Delta confirmed the near-collision and praised the response of the pilot and crew. Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, said: 'Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people. 'That's why the flight crew followed procedures to manoeuvre the aircraft as instructed.' Overcrowded airspace over DC The crash at the Washington airport in January has renewed debate over the overcrowded airspace nearby, which had been a matter of concern for years. A military helicopter and plane collided in a fiery explosion over the Potomac River near Washington just as the plane was descending toward the airport. The crew of the helicopter were testing night vision goggles on a training flight. The helicopter had exceeded its height restrictions at the time of the crash. Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB), said preliminary analysis of the Black Hawk's black box suggested that altitude data in the cockpit may have been inaccurate. Ms Homendy said an investigation by the NTSB found that the separation distance between planes and helicopters was 'insufficient and poses an intolerable risk to aviation safety'. Between October 2021 and December 2024, the NTSB recorded 15,214 instances of planes and helicopters flying in overly close proximity. The NTSB recommended a ban on helicopters flying above the airport.
USA Today
29-03-2025
- General
- USA Today
Delta jet's near miss with military aircraft near DCA reignites safety concerns
Delta jet's near miss with military aircraft near DCA reignites safety concerns Show Caption Hide Caption Flying will be even safer after the DCA crash Lessons learned from tragic plane crashes helps the aviation industry as a whole become even safer. A Delta Air Lines flight departing from Reagan National Airport had a near-collision with a military aircraft on Friday. The Delta pilots were able to avoid a collision after receiving an alert from the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. This incident comes just weeks after a fatal crash in nearly the same airspace involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter. A Delta Air Lines jet narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force T-38 military aircraft on Friday near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – just miles from the site of a deadly crash in January that killed 67 people. Delta Flight 2983, an Airbus A319 bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul, had just departed DCA around 3 p.m. when a cockpit warning system, known as a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), issued a 'resolution advisory,' directing pilots to take evasive action. 'On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 ft below us as we came off of DCA?' the Delta pilot asked air traffic control, according to audio captured by as first reported by CNN. 'Delta 2983, affirmative,' the controller responded. The military jet was operating from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. "Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 3:15 p.m. local time on Friday, March 28, while four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover," the Federal Aviation Administration told USA TODAY in a statement. " "The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby," the agency continued. "Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft." The FAA will investigate. 5 takeaways from Senate hearing: Everyone agreed the deadly DC air crash was preventable Delta confirmed the incident and said its crew responded appropriately. 'Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people. That's why the flight crew followed procedures to maneuver the aircraft as instructed,' spokesperson Morgan Durrant said. The aircraft was carrying 131 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants, and arrived as scheduled at MSP at 4:36 p.m. local time. This incident comes just weeks after the January 29 crash in nearly the same airspace, when an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided, killing everyone on board both aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board has since revealed that thousands of near-misses occurred in the vicinity of DCA between 2021 and 2024. Congress and aviation regulators are under mounting pressure to tighten safety measures in the congested Washington airspace. (This story was updated to add new information.)
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Collision warning sounds in cockpit of Delta plane due to close call with Air Force jet near Reagan National Airport
A close call between a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and a US Air Force T-38 jet, often used by the military for training, sounded alarms in the cockpit of the passenger plane Friday. Delta 2983 was departing Reagan Airport around 3:15 p.m. and heading to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for a regularly scheduled flight. Delta did not identify the other jet involved, but a review of tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows an Air Force T-38 jet flying past the Delta plane and DCA airport going more than 350 miles per hour at 800 feet. The military jet took off and landed at Langley Air Force Base, in Hampton, Virginia. CNN has asked the Air Force for comment. The close call happened just south of DCA airport, close to the spot where an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided, killing 67 people, on January 29. At a congressional hearing on Thursday Senators demanded to know why close calls between military helicopters and passenger planes went unchecked for so long at DCA. The NTSB said investigators uncovered more than 15,000 occurrences for close proximity events between commercial airplanes and helicopters between 2021 and 2024 where aircraft were within one nautical mile and 85 cases where two aircraft were separated by only 1,500 feet vertically and 200 feet laterally. The FAA has since closed a helicopter route by the airport and Thursday vowed to required military aircraft near DCA to fly with specific collision avoidance equipment turned on. But that wasn't enough to prevent today's close call as the Delta plane was taking off. 'On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 ft below us as we came off of DCA,' the Delta pilot asked air traffic controllers on audio captured by website 'Delta 2983, affirmative,' the Departure controller responds. The pilot also noted they received a warning in the cockpit, called a 'resolution advisory' from the plane's Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. The system tells a pilot what to do to avoid a collision. 'Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people,' said Morgan Durrant, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines. 'That's why the flight crew followed procedures to maneuver the aircraft as instructed.' Two pilots, three flight attendants and 131 passengers were on board the Delta aircraft.
