Anxiety is running high for some travelers out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) following word that a number of planes and helicopters came close to one another again over the past few days.
The Army is pausing helicopter flights near the Pentagon pending the outcome of a review by the 12th Aviation Battalion after the incident last week, an Army official said, NBC News reports. While the Army is still training, practicing routes and conducting VIP flights from nearby Fort Belvoir, they are not flying directly around the Pentagon.
Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.
WATCH HEREMost helicopters already were permanently restricted from flying on the same route where an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair, killing 67 people near DCA just months ago.
We have the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily.
SIGN UP On two separate occasions last week, a Black Hawk helicopter was trying to land at the Pentagon as a commercial jet was approaching DCA, with the aircraft getting too close to each other. The commercial jets had to go around the airport and landed a short time later.
The Army tells News4 they are investigating these incidents and they are committed to aviation safety.
In another incident, this one on Sunday, a U.S. Park Police helicopter that was helping search for people after a car crash near the Key Bridge caused three planes to divert and go-around DCA, although it appears proper procedures did work well in that case.
Still, for travelers, helicopters and planes being close in the air around DCA is unsettling.
One traveler told us he believes all agencies involved simply need to talk to each other better.
"Communication, right?" that traveler said. "Life’s all about communication."
And that’s exactly what Dr. Michael McCormick, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, says needs to happen.
"If I were to make a recommendation, it would be that the FAA’s air traffic organization needs to actually go visit these squadrons and brief all the flight crews on what is going on and why," McCormick said.
McCormick also worked for the FAA for years and has been in the DCA tower many times. He says decades of planes and helicopters flying near each other around DCA have led to an unhealthy culture and habits.
"Because of that, it is very hard to break that long history," McCormick said. "And that’s what we’re seeing right now."
Meanwhile, some say they will think about other options for travel instead of DCA.
"It does give some pause when I go to book a ticket," traveler Devon Jones said. "Or I might start to check and see if maybe the Amtrak would be better for this."
News4 asked the FAA if they have met face-to-face with Army officials, or plan to meet, to talk about these recent incidents. We have not yet heard back.
