WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has temporarily halted helicopter operations near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after two commercial flights were forced to abort their landings last week due to the presence of a military Black Hawk helicopter en route to the Pentagon, officials confirmed Monday.
The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion, which operates priority air transport for top Pentagon officials, issued the order to suspend flights in the area beginning Friday, according to two Army officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The decision follows a pair of close calls on Thursday involving a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170, both of which had to execute “go-around” maneuvers after being advised by air traffic control that a military helicopter was in the flight path.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the go-arounds were prompted by a “priority air transport” helicopter — identified as a UH-60 Black Hawk operated by the 12th Battalion — which had been following FAA-designated routes before being instructed by Pentagon Air Traffic Control to circle the helipad.
The incident rekindles safety concerns just months after a catastrophic midair collision in January between a Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet over Reagan National Airport killed 67 people — the deadliest U.S. midair disaster in over 20 years.
New Safety Measures Come Under Scrutiny
Following the January tragedy, the FAA barred helicopters from operating in the same airspace as fixed-wing aircraft near Reagan airport. However, Thursday’s close call, along with three other flight disruptions caused by a police helicopter on Sunday, has raised questions about enforcement and airspace coordination.
While all affected flights landed safely on their second approaches, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA have launched investigations into the latest military-related incident. The NTSB had previously warned of an escalating number of close calls at Reagan, citing 85 such incidents in the three years leading up to the January crash — a trend it says the FAA failed to act on despite data reviews.
The 12th Aviation Battalion had only recently resumed limited flight operations and was preparing for a phased return to full activity over the next month, according to internal Army documents reviewed by the Associated Press.
Wider Review of Air Safety in Helicopter-Heavy Airspaces
In response to the Reagan airport incidents and growing public concern, the FAA is conducting a nationwide review of helicopter-heavy airports. Preliminary findings have already flagged safety vulnerabilities at Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport, where tour helicopters frequently crisscross passenger airspace.
Flight Delays Add to Air Traffic Woes
Meanwhile, unrelated air traffic disruptions hit Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday, where thick cloud cover, outdated control systems, and a shortage of air traffic controllers caused delays of up to four hours for arriving flights, the FAA said.
As investigations continue, aviation safety experts warn that systemic issues in airspace management, particularly around mixed-use airports like Reagan, must be addressed urgently to prevent further tragedies.
