The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating another safety-related incident in the airspace surrounding Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). According to the report, on May 1, 2025, a military UH-60 Black Hawk approached the approach path of civilian aircraft, forcing two commercial airliners to abort their landing approaches. This incident occurred in airspace known to be high-conflict over the Potomac River.
According to an internal FAA memo cited by US media, the required safety distance was not maintained between a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 from Orlando and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 from Boston. The US Army confirmed that the helicopter took off while approaching the Pentagon's helipad. This maneuver, possibly part of a training exercise, led to the aborted landing approaches of the civilian aircraft.
This latest incident underscores the ongoing safety problems in this airspace. According to data from the U.S. National Air and Space Administration (NTSB), 2021 dangerous proximities between helicopters and aircraft were recorded in the approach corridors of Reagan Airport between October 2024 and December 85. At the end of January of this year, a collision between a helicopter of the same type and a regional jet occurred in the same region, killing all 67 passengers. Following this accident, the FAA had already restricted military air traffic in the area. Following the current incident, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced further measures to prevent unnecessary training flights and VIP transport in this sensitive airspace.