Possible Cause Of Near-Collision Between Delta Flight, Military Jet At DCA Revealed

ARLINGTON, VA — Federal investigators are looking into what they called a breakdown of air traffic control communications in the moments leading up to a Delta passenger plane and Air Force jet narrowly avoiding a collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last month, according to a report.

Officials said Delta flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff from Reagan Airport at 3:15 p.m. on March 28, the same time four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover.

The Delta plane received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said, and air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft.

While the two aircraft avoided a collision, a CNN report citing multiple sources familiar with the incident said a communications breakdown appeared to occur when air traffic controllers in the Reagan Airport control tower failed to hold departing flights for five minutes leading up to the planned flyover.

A short pause in departures from the airport is standard protocol for flyovers, but for some reason, that did not happen, the sources told CNN.

See Also:

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• Helicopters Permanently Restricted Near Reagan Airport After Crash
• Helicopter Ban Needed To Prevent Reagan Airport Collisions: NTSB
• Family Of DC Plane Crash Victim Files $250M Legal Claims: Reports

The close call happened a day after a 39-year-old employee from Maryland was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery after a fight in the Reagan Airport control tower, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed in a statement.

No details were released about the altercation. The FAA said the employee was put on administrative leave while the fight is investigated.

The Delta plane was carrying 131 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants, according to a company spokesperson. The plane was embarking on a regularly scheduled flight between Reagan and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The military jets were flying at more than 350 miles per hour and came less than 3,900 feet laterally and 100 feet vertically from the Airbus A319, CNN reported. An analysis of flight data revealed the aircraft came within roughly five seconds of colliding.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are continuing to investigate the incident

The near-miss happened close to where an American Airlines flight and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in January, killing 67 people. The plane was about to land at Reagan Airport when the crash occurred, killing everyone on board both aircraft.

After January's crash, the arrival rate at the airport fell to 26 an hour while crews worked to recover the wreckage and victims' bodies from the Potomac River. The FAA also imposed restrictions on helicopters operating near the airport.

The acting head of the FAA said late last month that arrivals were back up to 30 an hour and could go up to 32. Now, the agency is rethinking that.

To help with the stress air traffic controllers are under, the FAA is planning regular wellness checks of its staff at Reagan and also plans to make a team of crisis counselors available. The agency offered counseling to its employees at the airport right after the Jan. 29 crash and encouraged them to follow up with individual appointments if needed.

The FAA said that going forward, it will increase the number of supervisors from six to eight and evaluate whether it has enough controllers working each shift.

Sen. Ted Cruz, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said that troubling missteps since the crash “underscore the precarious situation in the nation's airspace.”

Expressing frustration with the Army's refusal to turn over a memo detailing its flight rules, Cruz said during a recent hearing that any deaths resulting from another collision near Reagan “will be on the Army's hands.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.