A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter caused major disruption near Washington’s airport earlier this month. The aircraft lost contact with controllers while approaching the Pentagon. This brief communication failure forced two commercial jets to abort their landings.
The Army Black Hawk Pentagon incident occurred on May 1 and is now under review. It comes months after a January midair collision killed 67 people. That deadly crash involved a government helicopter and a passenger jet near the same airport.
Military officials said the helicopter followed its approved route along the I-395 highway corridor. The flight, designated PAT23, rounded the Pentagon as planned. However, Army air traffic controllers briefly lost communication with the aircraft. The blackout lasted about 20 seconds.
Brigadier General Matthew Braman confirmed the loss of contact in an interview. He explained that a temporary tower antenna failed to track the helicopter. The antenna, placed during construction work, was not in a proper location. It has now been repositioned to the Pentagon’s rooftop.
Braman also noted that federal airport controllers struggled to pinpoint the helicopter’s exact location. Although the Black Hawk transmitted data, the multiple radar feeds provided inconsistent signals. Some locations differed by up to three-quarters of a mile.
This confusion led controllers to halt the landing of a Delta Airbus A319. Later, when the helicopter circled a second time, a Republic Airways Embraer E170 was also diverted. Neither plane was at immediate risk, but safety protocols triggered the decisions.
The Army Black Hawk Pentagon incident has reignited concerns about airspace coordination. In March, the FAA banned helicopters from the route involved in the January crash. After the May 1 event, the Army temporarily paused all Pentagon-bound flights.
The FAA did not confirm if its systems failed to track the helicopter. Officials said the matter remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is pushing for faster air traffic control upgrades nationwide.
Although some FAA staff initially described the flight as scenic, data shows the route was standard and approved. The Army released ADS-B tracking data to support this.
The Army Black Hawk Pentagon incident highlights the urgent need for better communication systems and safety protocols.
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