A hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers in Washington, D.C., has been non-functional for over three years, which may have contributed to a recent near miss involving U.S. Army helicopters. This incident occurred shortly after the Army resumed flying helicopters in the area, following a deadly midair collision in January 2025 between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter that resulted in 67 fatalities. Senator Ted Cruz addressed these concerns during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
Frank McIntosh, an official from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responsible for air traffic controllers, confirmed that the agency was unaware the hotline had been out of service since March 2022 until after the near miss incident. Though civilian controllers have alternative communication methods via landlines, the FAA insists that the hotline be repaired before helicopter operations near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport can continue.
Defense Department officials did not respond to inquiries regarding the recent near miss or measures being taken to ensure safety for helicopter flights in the area. The FAA also did not provide follow-up answers concerning the intended function of the hotline after the hearing.
Senator Cruz expressed his concern regarding airspace developments at Reagan Airport, stating that the committee is focused on ensuring a safe return to operations and responsible airspace usage. The Army decided to suspend all helicopter flights around Reagan Airport after the latest near miss incident, although McIntosh indicated that the FAA was close to mandating the Army to cease operations due to safety issues.
The January crash marked the deadliest plane accident on U.S. soil since 2001 and raised alarms, as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported 85 near misses around Reagan Airport over the previous three years that warranted action. Since the crash, the FAA has tried to prevent military helicopters from sharing airspace with commercial flights, but on May 1, there was an incident that forced controllers to direct two planes to abort landings because an Army helicopter was circling close to the Pentagon.
Senator Tammy Duckworth pointed out that despite the FAA’s closure of the helicopter route involved in the crash, the lack of coordination with the Department of Defense has continued to threaten public safety. McIntosh reiterated that the helicopter should not have entered the airspace around Reagan Airport without prior permission from air traffic control, emphasizing concerns about procedural compliance and safety.
The NTSB is currently conducting an investigation into these matters, and in a separate incident, a commercial flight departing from Reagan had to take evasive action after coming dangerously close to military jets heading towards Arlington National Cemetery. McIntosh attributed this occurrence to a miscommunication between regional FAA air traffic controllers and the tower at Reagan Airport, an issue he claimed has been resolved.
