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By Gabe Whisnant
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened an investigation after two commercial flights aborted landings at Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday due to a U.S. military Black Hawk helicopter en route to the Pentagon.
Why It Matters
After a deadly mid-air collision on January 29 between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter that killed 67 people, the FAA imposed permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations near Reagan National Airport.
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What to Know
On Friday, the FAA confirmed to Reuters that air traffic controllers instructed Delta Air Lines Flight 1671 from Orlando and Republic Airways Flight 5825 from Boston to execute "go-arounds" around 2:30 p.m. because a priority air transport helicopter was operating in the area.
A Department of Defense official told Fox News Digital they are "aware of reports" about Friday's incident.
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Located in northern Virginia just four miles from Capitol Hill, the airport is heavily used by lawmakers, tourists and local residents. In March, the FAA further tightened safety protocols by permanently closing a key flight route and restricting the use of two smaller runways whenever helicopters on urgent missions are active in the area.
Since 2021, there have been 85 reported near-miss incidents between helicopters and airplanes, involving lateral separations of less than 1,500 feet and vertical separations under 200 feet, according to a March report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
In response to growing safety concerns, Airlines for America—a trade group representing American Airlines and other major U.S. carriers—urged the FAA in March to permanently limit helicopter traffic near Reagan National Airport. The group also called for the suspension of certain nearby helicopter routes, allowing exceptions only for essential military or medical emergencies.
What People Are Saying
The FAA said in Las Vegas agreements with local helicopter operators requiring them to avoid arrival and departure routes lack defined vertical or lateral measurements, "We took quick action including exercising positive control over the helicopters and issuing more traffic advisories to pilots. As a result, the number of traffic alert and collision avoidance system reports decreased by 30% in just three weeks."
Jeff Guzzetti, a former National Transportation Safety Board and FAA accident investigator, told the Associated Press the fact that collision alerts for planes dropped so quickly "indicates a real hazard existed before the FAA looked at this."
He added, "It's tough to characterize how significant the hazard was. But it's yet another hole in the Swiss cheese that can line up with other holes and cause an accident just like what happened in Washington, D.C."
What's Next
The FAA is reviewing helicopter traffic near several major airports and, just last week, introduced new safety measures to address risks in Las Vegas.
Update: 5/2/25, 2:27 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 5/2/25, 5:07 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update: 5/2/25, 7:49 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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