A Delta Airlines flight with 136 people onboard narrowly avoided a collision with a military jet near Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport on Friday—just two months after a midair disaster in the same airspace claimed 67 lives.
Flight 2983, an Airbus A319, was cleared for takeoff from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at 3:15 p.m. en route to Minneapolis. As it climbed over the Potomac River, four Northrop T-38 Talon jets were approaching from the west for a flyover near Arlington National Cemetery.
The two aircraft crossed paths within seconds and just 500 feet of vertical separation, triggering a “resolution advisory” alert inside the Delta cockpit. The alert prompted immediate evasive action to avoid a collision, per standard safety protocols.
“On that departure … was there an actual aircraft about 500 ft below us as we came off of DCA?” the Delta pilot asked air traffic control, according to audio from LiveATC.net. The controller confirmed the proximity.
Delta said its crew followed all safety procedures. “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people,” a spokesperson said. The flight was carrying 131 passengers, three flight attendants, and two pilots.
The Air Force jet, one of four participating in a ceremonial flyover, had two servicemembers onboard. The FAA has launched an investigation into the incident.
The near-miss came just one day before the two-month anniversary of the Jan. 29 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter. That tragic crash occurred near the same airport and killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft, including members of Team USA Figure Skating returning from national championships.
In the wake of that tragedy, the FAA imposed strict limits on non-essential helicopter flights and restricted overlapping flight paths for military and commercial aircraft in the area. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has called for a review of military flight activity in the region, calling the latest incident “unbelievably dangerous.”
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board continue to monitor and review airspace coordination in the congested Washington, D.C. corridor.
