Two Passenger Planes Near D.C. Airport Forced To Shift Course Because Of An Army Helicopter

The incident comes months after an Army helicopter collided with a passenger plane as it landed at Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people.

Two passenger planes were forced to shift course Thursday in order to avoid an Army helicopter flying in the area where they were set to land.

The incident comes months after an Army helicopter collided with a passenger plane as it attempted to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, killing 67 people.

Politico reported Friday that Chris Senn, the Federal Aviation Administration assistant administrator for government and industry affairs, emailed that an Army Black Hawk helicopter “took a scenic route around the Pentagon versus proceeding directly from the west to the heliport,” prompting orders for two commercial airplanes to go around rather than land.

The flights, Delta flight 1671 and Republic flight 5825, were given the direction around 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, according to CNN. A report on the incident said the Republic flight came as close as “0.4 miles and 200 feet” from the helicopter, CNN reported, citing an FAA report that was shared with members of Congress.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the incident in a post on X Friday, calling it “unacceptable.”