The two commercial flights approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport were ordered to do a “go-around” Thursday for an Army helicopter three months after an airborne crash that killed 67 people, officials said.
US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said he would ask the Pentagon for an answer on a Black Hawk helicopter flight that forced a landing plane on Delta and Republic Airlines planes.
“Not accepted. The restrictions on helicopters around DCA are transparent,” Duffy wrote in X, referring to the airport with the Federal Aviation Agency’s location identifier.
No one was injured in the incident that occurred around 2:30pm.
US Army spokesman Colonel Victoria Goldfedib said the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter “will operate the Pentagon in accordance with the published FAA flight routes and DCA air traffic control.”
Goldfedib said the two commercial flights were told to turn, not land, to ensure competition in the airspace.
“This incident is currently under investigation. The U.S. Army continues to be committed to the safety of aviation and implementation of flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures,” she said.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said they are investigating the incident.
The helicopter had no passengers, but two pilots and the head of the crew were on board, two U.S. officials said. The group rehearsed a joint emergency evacuation plan, which resulted in its falling below 200 feet, the two officials told NBC, putting the approach into practice as part of their return to flight training operations.
Helicopters are generally not allowed to fly more than 200 feet near Reagan under FAA regulations.
On January 29th, an American commercial airplane and a Black Hawk helicopter collided in the air above the Potomac River near the airport, killing 64 people on a jet and three people on a helicopter.
The clashes raised questions about the busy airspace around Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington.
In that case, investigators have evidence that the helicopter involved in the airborne collision is higher than the 200-foot ceiling, NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy said in February.
The NTSB has said it wants to strictly limit helicopter traffic near the airport, claiming that “there is a risk that aviation safety cannot stand.”
