Army suspends helicopter flights near Reagan National after close calls

The U.S. Army will pause helicopter flights near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), The Associated Press reports, citing two anonymous Army sources familiar with the matter. The decision comes days after Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controllers had to force two commercial jets to abort landings due to an Army Black Hawk flying to the Pentagon.

On Thursday, May 1, the Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion was operating a Black Hawk helicopter and took an unapproved route near the Pentagon, causing two commercial flights — a Delta Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 — to abort their landings due to proximity to the helicopter.

Chris Senn, the FAA’s assistant administrator for government and industry affairs, said the helicopter “took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport,” Politico reported.

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