Particle.news
Download on the App Store
11 ARTICLES
·
18h ago

Pentagon-Reagan Hotline Outage Exposed After Near-Miss Incident Forces Flight Suspensions

FAA confirms three-year communication lapse between military and civilian air traffic control, prompting congressional scrutiny and policy reviews.

FILE - Rescue and salvage crews pull up a part of a Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided midair with an American Airlines jet, at a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
FILE - Salvage crews work on recovering wreckage near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Image

Overview

  • A hotline connecting Reagan National Airport to the Pentagon has been inoperable since March 2022, the FAA revealed during a Senate hearing.
  • The outage was discovered after a May 1 incident where a Black Hawk helicopter forced two passenger planes to abort landings near the Pentagon.
  • Military flights to the Pentagon have been suspended until the hotline is repaired, with no clear timeline for restoration provided by the Department of Defense.
  • The FAA is considering revoking a special agreement allowing military helicopters to operate in Washington airspace without prior clearance.
  • The January 29 midair collision that killed 67 people has intensified focus on safety oversight and communication failures in Washington's congested airspace.