2 commercial flights were ordered to ‘go around’ because of an army aircraft conducting flight operations at DC airport

Two commercial flights en route to the Ronald Reagan National Airport were asked to do “go-arounds” on Thursday (May 1) due to an Army helicopter. The incident came just three months after a mid-air collision that killed 67 people.

The US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday (May 2) that he would seek answers from the Pentagon about the Black Hawk helicopter flight that forced the Delta Air Lines and Republic Airways planes to abandon their landings.

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"Unacceptable. Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear," Duffy took to the social media platform X. He was referring to the airport by its Federal Aviation Administration location identifier.

"We just lost 67 souls! No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians. Take a taxi or Uber - besides most VIPs have black car service," he added.

The incident occurred in the afternoon, and no one was injured in the incident.

US Army spokesperson Capt. Victoria Goldfedib said, "The incident is currently under investigation. The United States Army remains committed to aviation safety and conducting flight operations within all approved guidelines and procedures."

She said the helicopter was "conducting flight operations into the Pentagon in accordance with published FAA flight routes and DCA Air Traffic Control"

Both the commercial flights were directed to go around rather than land to ensure no conflicts in the airspace, she said.