The US Department of Defense has officially announced the suspension of military helicopter flights in the vicinity of Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia. This decision comes in response to an incident involving a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk, which resulted in two commercial aircraft having to abort their landing approaches to the airport.
The affected operations are predominantly led by the 12th Aviation Battalion, which plays a crucial role in transporting government officials, including high-ranking officials such as the president, vice president, and defense secretary, throughout the Pentagon and the greater Washington, DC area.
Notably, this incident follows a tragic accident last January involving a UH-60 from the same battalion, which resulted in the loss of 67 lives when it collided with a commercial airliner.
In light of safety concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed restrictions on non-essential helicopter flights around DCA back in March and subsequently reduced mixed traffic between rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft. According to the FAA, if a helicopter must traverse the airspace for urgent missions—such as lifesaving medical services, critical law enforcement tasks, or Presidential transport—it will be mandated to maintain specific distances from airplanes.
The incident last Thursday, which provoked the recent measures, involved a Black Hawk that was engaged in training operations without any VIPs on board. Army spokesperson Captain Victoria Goldfedib stated that the helicopter was following published FAA flight routes and adhering to instructions from DCA Air Traffic Control when it was directed to “go around” by Pentagon Air Traffic Control.
An investigation has been initiated, with both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Captain Goldfedib emphasized the Army’s commitment to aviation safety and adherence to established operational guidelines and procedures. As of now, there has been no official comment from the FAA regarding the military’s helicopter flight restrictions around DCA.
