Just over three months ago, we saw a tragic accident at Washington National Airport (DCA), where a Black Hawk helicopter crashed into an American Eagle CRJ-700, claiming 67 lives.
This week, we’ve seen yet another close call at the airport, as a Black Hawk helicopter went off course near the airport, causing two planes to go around. The complete lack of regard for the safety of civilians among some in the military is mind-boggling, and there need to be consequences.
In this post:
Two planes perform go arounds to avoid Black Hawk
On Thursday, May 1, 2025, two commercial jets on approach to DCA had to perform last minute go arounds, as a Black Hawk helicopter went off course, and got too close to traffic. Specifically:
- Delta flight DL5825, from Boston (BOS), was operated by a Republic Airways Embraer EMB-170, and was on final approach, descending through around 450 feet, when the crew was instructed to go around
- Delta flight DL1671, from Orlando (MCO), was operated by an Airbus A319, and was on final approach, descending through around 700 feet, when the crew was instructed to go around
According to aircraft tracking services, the closest distance between one of the jets and the helicopter was 0.4 miles horizontally and just 200 feet vertically. That’s way too close for comfort. This was reportedly a training flight, just as was the case with the fatal accident back in late January.
After performing go arounds, both aircraft landed at the airport around 10 minutes later, without further incident.
So, what caused this? According to the preliminary report, the helicopter “did not proceed directly to the Pentagon Heliport, instead it took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport.”
In response to this, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued the following statement:
“Air traffic control instructed Delta Air lines Flight 1671 and Republic Airways Flight 5825 to perform go-arounds at the Reagan Washington National Airport due to a Priority Air Transport helicopter inbound to the Pentagon Army Heliport. The FAA is investigating the event that occurred around 2:30 p.m. local time on Thursday, May 1.”
Meanwhile the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued the following statement:
“NTSB investigating Thursday’s incidents at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in which a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a Republic Airways Embraer E170 were instructed by air traffic control to perform go-arounds due to a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter inbound to the Pentagon.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is furious
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is outraged about this close call, and took to Twitter/X to address it, calling the incident “unacceptable,” and stating that helicopter restrictions are “crystal clear.” Duffy says he’ll talk to the Department of Defense to “ask why the hell our rules were disregarded.”
He concludes by suggesting that “no more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians,” and to “take a taxi or Uber – besides most VIPs have black car service.”
Okay, it’s a bit of an odd take, because these incidents seem to involve training flights, so it’s not a VIP situation, or something that could be replaced with Uber. That being said, I completely agree with his ire. It’s sickening to see such disregard for the safety of civilians.
Either the helicopter pilots are just clueless regarding which airspace they can use, or they just don’t care about their own safety and the safety of others. I don’t know which would be worse, but take your pick.
Bottom line
A Black Hawk helicopter has once again caused issues in the airspace around DCA, as two aircraft on final approach had to perform go arounds at the last minute. The helicopter reportedly had a minimum distance of 0.4 miles horizontally and just 200 feet vertically.
This is the same time type of helicopter involved in the fatal accident in late January, and the preliminary report suggests that the helicopter was supposed to proceed to the Pentagon Heliport, but instead took a scenic route. This incident is now being investigated, and the Transportation Secretary is understandably angry.
What do you make of this Black Hawk DCA helicopter go around situation?
I live in California and don't have a dog in this fight, directly. But I'd much rather fly into DCA than IAD. When I go to Washington DC, either on business or pleasure, I want to go to DC, not Virginia. In that regard, it's no different than EWR -- to paraphrase Mayor LaGuardia, it's not New York. Have I flown in and out of IAD? Yes. Do I like flying in and out of...
I live in California and don't have a dog in this fight, directly. But I'd much rather fly into DCA than IAD. When I go to Washington DC, either on business or pleasure, I want to go to DC, not Virginia. In that regard, it's no different than EWR -- to paraphrase Mayor LaGuardia, it's not New York. Have I flown in and out of IAD? Yes. Do I like flying in and out of IAD? No, not if Washington is my final destination, but it's fine if I'm connecting (e.g.) SFO-IAD-CDG.
Crowded air space does not, by definition, mean dangerous air space. It means it's crowded. Pilots need to focus ALL of the time -- even when on autopilot -- but they need heightened flying in and out of places like DCA, SAN, etc., etc. Unless we are going to move EVERY airport out to the middle of a cornfield...
No. Preliminary reports point to a military helicopter on a training flight not following the rules and flightpaths laid down by FAA. The pilot being trained as well as the senior pilot both need to be reprimanded, letters in their personnel files, and sent down for further ground school instruction on who controls the airspace in peace time.
DCA is in Virginia, though? I mean you still need to take Metro into the District or drive over the bridge.
Shot down the Pentagon. No more Blackhawk flights. Save billions more than DOGE ever could. Job done.
Who was the 'big shot' that wanted to 'look around' on that helicopter. They should be fired.
I wonder if Sean Duffy can get good ol' Pete Hegseth to stop drinking and sober up long enough - and stop worrying about servicemembers' genitals - to actually do something. Probably not, but I applaud Sean's words on social media. Despite the total lack of actual action. It's more than I expected.
For those of us who live in DC, IAD is darn inconvenient. It is 1:15hrs on the train to get to IAD compared to 20mins to get to DCA.
It is at most $45 by Uber during surge pricing to get to DCA from my home compared to $100+ to travel to IAD.
DCA must remain a viable option. Shutting it down is not the answer for those of us who live in DC.
The military pilots know they can't be publicly named and shamed. We can only hope that internal accountability exists, is proportionate, and is actually applied in this case. Can't make the disciplinary process for these helicopter macho men public because "National Security". Which of us feels more "secure" about DCA (or anywhere else the armed forces operate) in these circumstances?
A simple fix would be for NTSB to have the same authority over near misses...
The military pilots know they can't be publicly named and shamed. We can only hope that internal accountability exists, is proportionate, and is actually applied in this case. Can't make the disciplinary process for these helicopter macho men public because "National Security". Which of us feels more "secure" about DCA (or anywhere else the armed forces operate) in these circumstances?
A simple fix would be for NTSB to have the same authority over near misses like this, including public access to all aspects of the investigation. If the public exposure compromises the careers of a couple cowboys there's a positive tradeoff: the chilling effect for other cowboys.
What a silly request.
You think Israel would release names and give public access to investigations?
We don't expect terrorists to do the same. But do you thing the 'good guys' would do it?
You can get a medal for shooting down an civilian airliner. Go figure.
What on earth does Israel have to do with this? Answer quickly.
@Charles S. Great comment. However, shutting down DCA is probably the the one thing that might stir the compliant in Congress to rise up. The main reason DCA continues and expands in the number and range of its flights is that the members of Congress prefer it to the hour's shlep to IAD. Laziness? You decide.
IAD does have a direct metro connection to downtown now, so it isn't too inconvenient anymore and the airport itself has plenty of growing room. DCA on the other hand is overly congested and has no space to grow. I'm honestly surprised it was allowed to get bigger and didn't slowly get phased out in favor of IAD and BWI following 9/11 just out of security and safety reasons. It's a lot like Kai Tak...
IAD does have a direct metro connection to downtown now, so it isn't too inconvenient anymore and the airport itself has plenty of growing room. DCA on the other hand is overly congested and has no space to grow. I'm honestly surprised it was allowed to get bigger and didn't slowly get phased out in favor of IAD and BWI following 9/11 just out of security and safety reasons. It's a lot like Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong, an airport built during the infancy of the city it's in when air travel was far younger and had far less demand. But today demand, the aircraft themselves, and the cities around the airports have all grown to the point that the airport can no longer efficiently or safely operate.
For those of us who live in DC, IAD is darn inconvenient. It is 1:15hrs on the train to get to IAD compared to 20mins to get to DCA.
It is at most $45 by Uber during surge pricing to get to DCA from my home compared to $100+ to travel to IAD.
DCA must remain a viable option. Shutting it down is not the answer for those of us who live in DC.
Why must DCA remain open? To keep from inconveniencing you? You're saying your time is more important than the lives lost in the January collision and the safety of future passengers if DCA stays open? Don't make me laugh. Plenty of other people in major cities survive hour plus trips to their airport, you will too.
@Dusty
And should they close your airport of choice? Should they have closed CDG when Concorde crashed on take off? Imagine if people like you had called for the closing of Pittsburgh airport when USAir crashed in 1994.
Why is it a melodramatic binary choice? Steps can be put in place to make operations safe. Most have the intelligence to do so.
@justin dev
Live closer to IAD and stop with the entitlement hypocrisy.
People in Ashburn feels the same way with DCA. Should they demand to shut down DCA?
@Justin dev
That's a whole load of apples and oranges that don't support your argument. Neither CDG nor PIT are anywhere near as close to the cities they serve as DCA: 14 and 12 miles respectively from the city centers, whereas the foot of DCA's runway 19 is in a nearly direct line 2.5 miles from the White House and the Pentagon under a mile from the foot of runway 15. Nor does CDG...
@Justin dev
That's a whole load of apples and oranges that don't support your argument. Neither CDG nor PIT are anywhere near as close to the cities they serve as DCA: 14 and 12 miles respectively from the city centers, whereas the foot of DCA's runway 19 is in a nearly direct line 2.5 miles from the White House and the Pentagon under a mile from the foot of runway 15. Nor does CDG or PIT have to contend with the military and government helicopter traffic DCA has due to the proximity of the White House, Andrews AFB, Anacostia-Bolling, and the Pentagon. And lastly, neither crash you cite had airspace congestion as a cause or contributing factor.
At the end of the day, DCA is FAR closer to sensitive government and military installations. This both means much higher risk of those installations being hit if a plane goes down for any reason, and much higher risk (as we've seen) of collisions due to the low altitude congestion in that area. And no lmao, they wouldn't close ATL because ATL isn't in spitting distance of the US government and ATL's approaches don't conflict with craploads of helo traffic. It already takes me an hour to get there anyway. You'll survive. Remember how DCA was closed for nearly a month after 9/11, long after every other airport had resumed operation? And the FAA has already implemented rules that DCA traffic must halt whenever POTUS is coming or going on Marine One, so enjoy your random delays.
Sickening and disturbing. Military helicopter activity has gotten out of control.
“It’s a bad airport…a very bad airport. It can’t even land huge planes….so tiny. So we are going to shut it down…close the airport…make the planes go back to where they came from.”
And build a wall around it?
And every plane currently using will get huge tariffs to prevent passengers from trafficking drugs because they are all gang members?
All of this while allowing and not even Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments to short DCA and buy IAD call options?
Sounds about right.
IAD and DCA are both "owned" by MWAA - Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
Was it a woman pilot?
Let the wild comments and speculation begin…got my popcorn. Honestly, I used to come here for travel news…lately I think I come here for the comments.
It was a human pilot, among the top reason for any fatal disasters.