Delta Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff on March 28, about the same time that four U.S. Air Force T-38s were inbound for a flyover of Arlington Cemetery.
A passenger plane and an Air Force jet were forced to divert course to avoid a mid-air collision near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside of Washington, D.C.
Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff on March 28 at about 3:15 p.m. At the same time, four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon aircraft were inbound for a flyover at Arlington Cemetery, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
When one of the Air Force aircraft was getting close to the Delta plane, air traffic controllers issued instructions to both aircraft to divert course in order to avoid a collision.
A recording of air traffic control communications suggested that the Air Force jet was just 500 feet below the Delta plane after the two successfully diverted course.
The Airbus A319 with 131 passengers, two pilots, and three flight attendants was embarking on a regularly scheduled flight between Reagan and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Delta Airlines said.
The close call comes less than two months after a passenger plane collided with an Army helicopter at the same airport, killing all 67 on both aircraft.
The January collision raised questions about the military’s failure to use a key safety system known as ADS-B on helicopter training flights.
It also shined a spotlight on Congressional efforts to create more non-stop flights to accommodate lawmakers’ schedules despite persistent safety warnings from local airport authorities that the airport lacked the capacity.
Some 64 daily flights have been added to the airport’s schedule since 2000, with 10 more on the way from legislation last year. That has left Reagan with the busiest runway in the nation despite being the 24th busiest airport in terms of total flights.
The crowded airspace around Washington drew attention last year when Congress debated an aviation safety bill that allowed 10 more flights a day at Reagan, drawing sharp objections from lawmakers in Virginia, where the airport is located.
