A Black Hawk helicopter from the Army was flying to the Pentagon, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who declared Friday that it was “unacceptable” that two business aircrafts had to make an emergency landing at a Washington aircraft this month.
Duffy said he plans to speak with the department of defense to find out why laws were “disregarded” in addition to the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration investigating what happened Thursday evening.
According to the NTSB, the affair at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport involved a Republic Airways Embraer E170 and a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319. According to a declaration from the FAA, they were instructed by air traffic control to “perform go-arounds” around 2: 30 p.m. because of a “priority air transfer” plane.
On the social media platform X, Duffy stated that” health has always come initially.” We have merely lost 67 lives! In a crowded DCA airport full of civilians, there are no longer any helicopter rides for VIPs or unwanted training. Get a car or Uber; most VIPs also offer “black vehicle service.”
Following a fatal air incident in January between a passenger aircraft and an Army helicopter in Washington, which resulted in the 67 fatalities, the abandoned landings came after the aborted landings.
The FAA announced in March that planes must remain stationary close to Washington’s airports while traveling the same way. If the plane that was flying on Thursday was in the restricted neighborhood, it wasn’t immediately known.
After the NTSB reported an alarming number of nearby loses in recent years in the crowded skies around Reagan National, the FAA, which manages the world’s aircraft and oversees aircraft health, has come under fire.
The closing of the helicopter way close to the airport makes the restrictions permanently in effect following the midair collision on January 29. A few outliers to helicopter use are made in the FAA attempt, including national flights along with law enforcement and saving missions.
Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell, a part of the Commerce Committee, the FAA’s top executive, said about the event that “it is way past time” for defence minister Pete Hegseth and the FAA to “give our aircraft the security and safety attention it deserves.”
The security of their clients and all individuals is paramount, according to Delta Air Lines ‘ Emma Johnson, a spokesperson. They will” collaborate with authorities as they investigate.”
In a speech, Republic Airways stated that it is also working on the studies.
The US Army did not respond to a request for comment right away.
