A Delta Airlines flight carrying 136 people narrowly avoided a collision with a U.S. military jet on Friday afternoon in a dangerous loss-of-separation incident near Washington, D.C. The close call occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the same location where a devastating mid-air collision in January claimed 67 lives.
Seconds from disaster
Delta Airlines Flight 2983 departed the Washington, D.C., airport at 2:55 p.m. local time and was cleared for takeoff to Minneapolis-St. Paul around 3:15 p.m. As it climbed south over the Potomac River, a formation of four Northrop T-38 Talon military jets was flying west toward Arlington National Cemetery for a scheduled flyover.
Moments later, one of the military jets crossed paths with the Delta Airbus A319 at dangerously close range, triggering an automated alert inside the commercial plane’s cockpit.
“On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 ft below us as we came off of DCA?” the Delta pilots asked air traffic controllers, according to audio obtained by CNN via LiveATC.net.
“Affirmative,” a controller confirmed.
FAA launches investigation
The cockpit alert, known as a “resolution advisory,” is part of the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), which warns pilots to take evasive action to prevent mid-air collisions.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people,” a Delta spokesperson said following the incident. “That’s why the flight crew followed procedures to maneuver the aircraft as instructed.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the close call. The Delta flight carried 131 passengers, three flight attendants, and two pilots, while the Air Force jet had two servicemembers onboard.
Lawmakers demand answers
The near-collision has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers, with U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) vowing to question the Department of Defense about why military jets were operating so close to commercial flights in a busy airspace.
“Unbelievably dangerous, and thank God people are safe,” Klobuchar wrote on X.
A deadly reminder
The incident occurred just one day before the two-month anniversary of the January 29 American Airlines Flight 5342 disaster near the same airport. In that tragedy, a regional Bombardier CRJ700, approaching Reagan National after a flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided mid-air with an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
All 64 passengers and crew members aboard the commercial jet, along with three Army personnel in the helicopter, were killed. Among the victims were skaters and family members of Team USA Figure Skating, returning home from the national championships in Wichita.
The catastrophic crash led the FAA to impose new flight restrictions in the Washington, D.C. area, banning non-essential helicopter operations near Reagan National and implementing new rules to prevent military and passenger jets from sharing airspace in close proximity.
Ongoing concerns over airspace safety
With Friday’s near-miss rekindling concerns over air traffic safety near the nation’s capital, aviation experts and lawmakers are once again calling for stricter oversight of military and civilian flight operations in the region. The FAA’s investigation will seek to determine whether additional safety measures are needed to prevent another potential disaster.