Latest news with #TrafficAlertandCollisionAvoidanceSystem
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
Delta jet's near miss with military aircraft near DCA reignites safety concerns
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. USA TODAY reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for comment. 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 article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Just feet apart: Delta plane and military jet in near miss over DCA
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Secret Service, Navy counter-drone technology testing led to faulty cockpit alerts, officials say
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Testing of counter-drone technology near Reagan Washington National Airport by the U.S. Secret Service and Navy earlier this month led to numerous flight crews receiving faulty alerts of potentially nearby aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration and a U.S. senator said on Thursday. Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz at a hearing said the March 1 faulty alerts that caused some flights to abort landings were due to the government testing using the same spectrum band as the alerting system. That led to interference that impacted at least a dozen flights. Cruz, a Republican from Texas, called the testing inappropriate and "deeply disturbing" after a fatal collision on January 29 between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people. Acting Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Chris Rocheleau confirmed that Cruz' account was correct. "The FAA had previously warned the Navy and the Secret Service against using that specific spectrum band due to interference risks," Cruz said. He added that the committee plans to investigate what happened. The Secret Service and Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FAA said earlier that some of the crews executed go-arounds as a result of the alerts that aim to prevent collisions and is investigating why the alerts occurred. There has been intense focus on traffic at the airport, which has the single busiest runway in the United States, since the January 29 collision. Airplanes and pilots use Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System alert systems to warn of potential collisions. They function independently of ground-based air traffic control. Over the last two years, a series of troubling near-miss incidents has raised concerns about U.S. aviation safety and the strain on understaffed air traffic control operations.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NTSB calls for restrictions on helicopters near Ronald Reagan airport after January's deadly crash
After an investigation into the deadly collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, or DCA, the National Transportation Safety Board called for immediate changes around the airport. The NTSB's preliminary report on the Jan. 29 crash that killed 67 people said current helicopter routes allowed around the airport are an 'intolerable risk to aviation safety,' per ABC. The report was released on Tuesday. January's crash at the airport near Washington is the U.S.'s deadliest air crash in over 20 years. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the NTSB, called on the Federal Aviation Administration to enact immediate restrictions recommended by the board. 'We continue to mourn the lives lost in the tragic accident involving Flight 5342. We're grateful for the National Transportation Safety Board's urgent safety recommendations to restrict helicopter traffic near DCA and for its thorough investigation,' said American Airlines in a statement, according to CNN. According to ABC, the NTSB's investigation is ongoing. Homendy added that the board will be conducting a number of simulations and additional interviews, and will also continue its examination of radio altimeters, barometric altimeters and additional electronics. The FAA has been asked by the NTSB to permanently ban helicopters from flying near DCA when Runways 15 and 33 are in use, per ABC. It has also been recommended that an alternative route be provided for helicopter pilots. Homendy told reporters that the existing allowable distances between helicopters and planes 'are insufficient and pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety by increasing the chances of a midair collision at DCA,' per NBC. 'Let me repeat: That they pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety. We're therefore recommending today that the FAA permanently prohibit operations on helicopters ... between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge,' she added. After the crash occurred, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy quickly put a temporary restriction on helicopter traffic over the Potomac River by DCA until March 31, per ABC. The NTSB's recommendation would be a permanent restriction. Homendy shared that between October 2021 and December 2024 there were 944,179 commercial operations at DCA. In that time period there were 15,214 close proximity events between commercial airplanes and helicopters, according to NBC. The close proximity events saw a lateral separation of less than one nautical mile and a vertical separation of less than 400 feet between the two aircraft, Homendy added. In 85 events, there was a lateral separation of less than 1,500 feet and a vertical separation of less than 200 feet. A vast majority of encounters between helicopters and commercial aircraft happened on approaches to landing. At least once a month between 2011 and 2024, a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System resolution advisory was triggered at Reagan Airport due to proximity to a helicopter, per ABC. These advisories are the most serious warning, telling pilots to take immediate evasive action to avoid a collision. 'It does make me angry. But it also makes me feel incredibly devastated for families that are grieving because they lost loved ones,' Homendy said, according to ABC. 'It shouldn't take tragedy like this to occur. Unfortunately, one did, and so we are calling on action, but there clearly were indicators where safety trending could have occurred.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Safety board calls to end helo flights on route of fatal DC crash
The National Transportation and Safety Board has concluded that the separation distances allowed between helicopter and airplane traffic on the route where an Army helicopter and a commercial passenger jet collided midair on Jan. 29 near Washington 'pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety,' according to its preliminary investigation report released Tuesday. As a result, the NTSB is recommending helicopter flights be immediately prohibited on 'Route 4″ — where the fatal crash occurred — between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge along the Potomac River when planes are landing or taking off on runways 15 and 33 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The board is also recommending an alternative helicopter route between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is not open to rotary-wing traffic. The on-scene investigation of the collision between the American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, and a UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac River concluded Feb. 14 When the aircraft collided, the fuselage of the commercial jet broke apart in three places and was discovered inverted in waist-deep water in the Potomac. The helicopter wreckage was found nearby. All 64 people aboard the passenger jet and all three Army crew members aboard the Black Hawk — Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Loyd Eaves, Cpt. Rebecca M. Lobach and Staff Sgt. Ryan Austin O'Hara — were killed. Meanwhile, the investigation continues off-site in various labs and other secure locations, according to Jennifer Homendy, NTSB chair. The preliminary report lays out what happened but not how or why the crash happened, Homendy said in a briefing Tuesday. 'For this investigation, we're reviewing airport operations and prior incidents, including near midair collision events,' Homendy said, using information from voluntary safety reporting programs and the Federal Aviation Administration. That data shows that from 2011 through 2024, a 'vast majority' of reported incidents occurred on approach to landing, and initial analysis found that at least one Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, Resolution Advisory was triggered per month at DCA due to a helicopter's proximity, Homendy said. Unlike traffic advisories, which are issued when an intruding aircraft is about 20 seconds or 0.3 nautical miles from the closest point of approach, TCAS resolution advisories signal a collision threat and require immediate action, Homendy said. In over half of the encounters from 2011 to 2024, the helicopter may have been flying above the route altitude restriction, which is limited to a ceiling of 200 feet above the ground, Homendy said. Two-thirds of the events happened at night. From October 2021 through December 2024, there were 944,179 commercial operations at DCA with 15,214 'close proximity events' between commercial planes and helicopters 'in which there was a lateral separation distance of less than one nautical mile and vertical separation of less than 400 feet,' Homendy said. Of those 15,214 events, there were 85 very close calls involving lateral separations of less than 1,500 feet and less than 200 feet of vertical separation, according to Homendy. Through evaluation of the crash, the NTSB found that the Black Hawk was not flying in the very limited area it should have been flying near DCA. 'At the maximum altitude here of just 200 feet, a helicopter operating over the eastern shoreline of the Potomac River would have just 75 feet of vertical separation from an airplane approaching runway 33,' Homendy said. Following the accident, the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy immediately restricted helicopter traffic from operating over the Potomac River at DCA until March 31. 'As that deadline nears, we remain concerned about the significant potential for a future midair collision at DCA, which is why we are recommending a permanent solution today,' Homendy noted. Homendy acknowledged that fully closing Route 4 between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are in use would restrict a key aviation corridor for Coast Guard patrols, law enforcement and government operations. However, she noted that requiring controllers to hold helicopters north or south of DCA during those times could also add to controllers' workload and increase risk. To that end, NTSB is recommending the FAA establish an alternative helicopter route between Hains Point and the Wilson Bridge when that segment of Route 4 is closed. Although the preliminary report is out, Homendy said her team 'has a lot of work to do,' including simulations, visibility studies and additional interviews related to helicopter operations and air traffic control. When asked in the briefing whether the NTSB would call the resulting crash an oversight, Homendy said, 'I mean, it's stronger than an oversight, right? … The data we have pulled is from a voluntary safety reporting system that FAA could have used anytime. That data from October 2021 through December 2024, they could have used that information any time to determine that we have a trend here and a problem here and looked at that route. 'That didn't occur, which is why we're taking action today, but unfortunately, people lost lives and loved ones are grieving.'
