Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy slammed the Defense Department on Friday after an Army helicopter forced two commercial passenger jets landing at Reagan National Airport to shift course.
On Thursday, air traffic control instructed a Delta Airlines flight and Republic Airways plane to perform go-arounds due to a “Priority Air Transport helicopter inbound to the Pentagon Army Heliport,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Multiple outlets reported on Friday that an army helicopter taking a “scenic route” near the airport caused the incident.
“Unacceptable. Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear. In addition to investigations from @NTSB and @FAANews, I’ll be talking to the @DeptofDefense to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.,” Duffy wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
Helicopter operations near the airport were restricted in March after a deadly collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane killed 67 people in January.
“Safety must ALWAYS come first. 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,” Duffy added in the post.
The Hill has reached out to the Defense Department for comment about Thursday’s incident, which occurred at 2:30 p.m. local time per the FAA.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle expressed similar concerns to Duffy on social media.
“I believe it’s time for the FAA to act swiftly and assert control over the national airspace so the Army stops running air taxis for military officials near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote in a post on X.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) called the incident “outrageous,” as reported by Reuters.
“The Army and FAA need to reevaluate their operations and return to Capitol Hill to explain what needs to be done to make certain the DCA airspace is safe,” Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) added on social media. “We already had a tragedy that should not have happened.”
Since the deadly January crash, officials have been working to restructure the FAA’s hiring practices for air traffic controllers, who advise pilots on flying patterns.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will lead the probe into the latest incident and issue a preliminary report in the coming weeks. Spokespeople from Delta and Republic said they will cooperate with an investigation.