WASHINGTON: US transportation secretary Sean Duffy said Friday that it is “unacceptable” that two commercial aircrafts had to abort landings at a Washington airport this week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon.
In addition to the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration investigating what happened Thursday afternoon, Duffy said, he plans to talk to the department of defense to determine why rules were “disregarded.”
The incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport involved a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170, according to the NTSB. They were instructed around 2:30 p.m. by air traffic control to “perform go-arounds” because of a “priority air transport” helicopter, according to a statement from the FAA.
“Safety must ALWAYS come first,” Duffy said on the social platform X. “We just lost 67 souls! No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians. Take a taxi or Uber – besides most VIPs have black car service.”
The aborted landings follow a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and Army helicopter in Washington that killed 67 people.
In March, the FAA announced that helicopters would be permanently restricted from flying near Washington’s airport on the same route where the collision occurred. It wasn’t immediately clear if the helicopter flying Thursday was in the restricted area.
The FAA, which manages the nation’s airspace and oversees aviation safety, has come under criticism after the NTSB said there had been an alarming number of near misses in recent years in the congested skies around Reagan National.
The closure of the helicopter route near the airport makes permanent the restrictions put in place after the Jan. 29 midair collision. The FAA order includes a few exceptions for helicopter use, including presidential flights along with law enforcement and lifesaving missions.
Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, ranking member of the Commerce Committee, which oversees the FAA, said about the Thursday incident that “it is far past time” for defense secretary Pete Hegseth and the FAA to “give our airspace the security and safety attention it deserves.”
Emma Johnson, a spokesperson for Delta Air Lines, said that the safety of their customers and all people is most important and that they’ll “cooperate with authorities as they investigate.”
Republic Airways said in a statement that it is also cooperating with the investigations.
The US Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
