Overview

• Military air traffic controllers lost contact with a Black Hawk helicopter for 20 seconds near the Pentagon on May 1, leading to two commercial jets aborting their landings at Reagan National Airport.
• The loss of contact was attributed to a temporary control tower antenna being incorrectly positioned during construction, which has since been relocated to the Pentagon rooftop.
• The FAA permanently banned helicopter traffic on the route of January's deadly midair collision, while the Army has paused Pentagon flights to address safety issues with the FAA.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is advocating for comprehensive modernization of air traffic control systems following equipment failures and legacy system limitations.
• The NTSB continues its investigation into the May 1 incident, as concerns grow over the risks posed by outdated tracking technology and mixed military-commercial flight operations in Washington's crowded airspace.