Helicopter-Airplane Near Miss: Urgent Calls for Air Traffic Control Overhaul

An Army helicopter's temporary loss of contact with air traffic controllers led to two commercial jets aborting landings near Washington's airport. This incident has intensified concerns about the proximity of military and commercial flights, reigniting discussions about modernizing the FAA's air traffic control systems to prevent future mishaps.

An Army helicopter briefly lost contact with military air traffic controllers, causing two commercial flights to abort their landings near Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport. The loss of contact lasted about 20 seconds, as the Black Hawk neared the Pentagon, according to Army officials' account to the Associated Press.

The incident has amplified worries about frequent near-misses between military helicopters and commercial aircraft, following a high-profile collision in January that resulted in 67 deaths. In response to such concerns, the Federal Aviation Administration previously decided to halt helicopter flights on routes where collisions have occurred, hoping to prevent further accidents. Recent measures include temporarily pausing all Pentagon flights as officials review safety protocols.

The issues stemmed from a control tower antenna placement during construction, which failed to offer consistent communication with the helicopter. Furthermore, multiple data sources providing the Black Hawk's location to controllers proved inconsistent, with deviations up to three-quarters of a mile raising significant alarm among air traffic officials.

(With inputs from agencies.)