Army Helicopter Incident Prompts D.C. Flight Safety Review

On May 1, military air traffic controllers lost contact with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter near the Pentagon for about 20 seconds, causing two commercial jets to abort landings at Washington's Reagan National Airport. The incident has intensified concerns over aviation safety following a deadly January collision between a helicopter and a commercial plane that killed 67 people. Investigators found that the temporary control tower antenna was poorly positioned during construction, contributing to the communication loss; it has since been moved to the Pentagon's roof. Air traffic controllers also faced inconclusive and imprecise data from sensors, with deviations of up to three-quarters of a mile. In response, the Army suspended flights in the area and the FAA permanently banned helicopters from the route involved in the earlier crash. The FAA is also addressing equipment issues, including repairing a long-broken hotline between Pentagon and airport controllers.