Pentagon suspends military helicopter flight operations near DCA following near-misses

Army halts helicopter flight operations near DCA

The Pentagon is suspending all of its helicopters from flying near Reagan National Airport. It comes after a recent safety incident where an Army helicopter caused two commercial flights to abort their landings.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is suspending all of its helicopters from flying near Reagan National Airport. It comes after a recent safety incident where an Army helicopter caused two commercial flights to abort their landings.

What we know:

A specific unit of Army helicopters is pausing its flight operations near or around Reagan National Airport.

Last week, two commercial planes that were getting ready to land at DCA were diverted by air traffic controllers after they noticed an army helicopter taking a different route.

According to the Army, the Blackhawk on its way to the Pentagon was "in accordance with published FAA flight routes and DCA Air Traffic Control" during this incident. But in order to make sure the airspace was safe, the controllers asked the two commercial flights to go around.

The unit suspending its operations is the 12th Aviation Battalion. These helicopters usually transport political VIPs and conduct training.

A Blackhawk from that same battalion was involved in the tragic January crash that killed 67 people.

Local perspective:

Military aviation expert Philip Mann believes this is the right call.

"It reflects well on them to basically tell the VIPs that they would normally haul around, hey take an Uber if you need to and are willing to shut down the operations so they can take a look at whatever it is. It seems that they are recognizing they’ve got some potential for a very systemic problem that may be more wide-reaching than they originally thought," Mann said. 

At the moment, the FAA has restricted all non-essential helicopter operations around DCA, except for urgent missions, such as lifesaving medical, priority law enforcement or Presidential transport.

During last week's incident, the Army says the Blackhawk was conducting a training with no VIPs on board. Experts say we could soon see even tighter restrictions.

"I think we are going to see a clear demarcation between those real military-only missions and their normal conventional flights and for that normal flight, they are going to have to comply like all the other commercial traffic. They are going to have to fly like there are operating members of the airspace like everyone else with the right equipment following the same procedures, all that kind of stuff," Mann said. 

What's next:

The incident remains under investigation and the Army says it remains committed to aviation safety and conducts flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures.

Full statement:

Below is the full statement provided by an Army spokesperson.

"12th Aviation Battalion has suspended rotary wing flight operations into the Pentagon pending the outcome of an internal inquiry.

While conducting flight operations into the Pentagon in accordance with published FAA flight routes and DCA Air Traffic Control, a UH-60 Blackhawk initiated a "go-around" after Pentagon Air Traffic Control told them they were not cleared to land, overflying the Pentagon helipad while maintaining all approved flight procedures.  As a result, DCA Air Traffic Control issued a "go-around" to two civil fixed wing aircraft to ensure the appropriate deconfliction of airspace.  The incident is currently under investigation. The United States Army remains committed to aviation safety and conducts flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures."