FAA, NTSB investigating after two flights to Reagan National had to perform 'go-around' due to Army

Federal transportation officials are investigating after Delta Air Lines and Republic Airways flights headed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport had to divert to avoid a helicopter.

At around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Delta Flight 1671 arriving from Orlando International Airport and Republic Flight 5825 coming from Boston Logan International Airport performed go-around maneuvers because a Black Hawk helicopter was headed for the Pentagon Army Heliport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The Delta flight with five crew members and 97 passengers and the Republic jet landed safely.

Go-arounds are when a pilot aborts a landing and circles back to reenter the landing queue. The incident comes just months after a collision between an Army helicopter and a domestic flight trying to land at Reagan National killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

After the Jan. 29 crash, the FAA implemented new airspace rules restricting the simultaneous flight of planes and helicopters in the same Reagan National airspace.

The FAA said the Army helicopter on Thursday didn’t violate the newly restricted space but that it also “took a scenic route around the Pentagon” instead of going directly to the heliport, reported The Associated Press.

The helicopter is part of the 12th Aviation Battalion out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The Black Hawk involved in the Jan. 29 collision was also part of the battalion, according to CNN.

The Army told Reuters that the helicopter was following the proper FAA routes when “directed by Pentagon Air Traffic Control to conduct a go-around, overflying the Pentagon helipad in accordance with approved flight procedures.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted Friday on X, “Unacceptable. Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear. … I’ll be talking to the @DeptofDefense to ask why the hell our rules were disregarded. 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.”

Congressional leaders were also appalled.

Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican and chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, wrote on X, “Just days after military flights resumed in the National Capital Region, the Army is once again putting the traveling public at risk. … 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.”

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, ranking Democrat on the committee, said that “it is far past time” for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the FAA to “give our airspace the security and safety attention it deserves,” according to the AP.

Spokespeople for both Delta and Republic told AP that the airlines are cooperating with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board investigations.