Passenger Jet, Blackhawk Nearly Collide Over Reagan National In DC: New NTSB Report

A military helicopter and a crowded passenger jet almost collided between Reagan National Airport and the Pentagon last spring, and new information from a federal safety investigation shows how close Washington, DC skies were to catastrophe.

Reagan National Airport

Federal investigations found that a crowded passenger flight approaching Reagan National and a Blackhawk chopper landing at the Pentagon were within 0.4 miles and 200 feet apart from colliding.

A near-miss above Washington, DC, this spring may have resulted in disaster, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

According to the study, Republic Airways flight 5825, an Embraer 170 flying as Delta Connection, was approaching Reagan National Airport in Arlington on May 1 shortly after 2:30 p.m., while Priority Air Transport flight 23, a UH-60 Blackhawk, was arriving at the Pentagon Heliport.

The loss of separation occurred when the DCA tower was balancing many flights, according to investigators.

The Blackhawk’s controller was also undergoing training on the local control position at the time, which had been integrated with helicopter control under observation.

While three commercial jets were arriving at runway 19 (PSA Airlines flight 5073, Delta Air Lines flight 1671, and Republic Airways flight 5825), the Blackhawk was cleared to the Pentagon via Helicopter Route 5, according to the records.

The Blackhawk checked in with the Pentagon’s heliport tower and made an attempt to land without approval while controllers rearranged the spacing.

When asked, the crew claimed that DCA had given them the all-clear. Air traffic controllers had to tell Republic Airways 5825 to circle the Pentagon building after the Blackhawk scaled back above it a short while later.

Investigators claimed that separation had already been lost by that point.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Army, and the FAA all immediately reviewed the incident, according to the NTSB, even though there were no injuries or aircraft damage.

Contrary to initial conjecture, preliminary data indicates that there had never been a communication breakdown between controllers and the Blackhawk.

Investigations into the case are still ongoing.

The NTSB report is available online in its entirety.