Army suspends helicopter flights near DC airport amid Transportation probe on safety

The Army on Monday announced it was suspending its helicopter flights near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), after the Transportation Department launched a probe into an incident near the airport last week.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would launch a probe into the Pentagon's use of helicopters near the DCA after an Army helicopter forced two passenger jets to shift courses on Thursday.

DCA is the same airport where a passenger plane and military helicopter collision in January killed all 67 people aboard both vehicles. The FAA has already instituted new regulations regarding the airspace near the airport over January's collision. 

Lt. Col. Patrick Husted, a spokesperson for the unit that oversees Army operations within Washington, D.C., said the suspension impacts helicopter operations out of the 12th Aviation Battalion, which evacuates political VIPs during an emergency, per Politico.

The comment comes after Duffy voiced discontent with the Pentagon for its handling of military helicopters near DCA. 

"Safety must ALWAYS come first. We just lost 67 souls!" he posted to X on Friday. "No more helicopter rides for VIPs or unnecessary training in a congested DCA airspace full of civilians. Take a taxi or Uber - besides most VIPs have black car service."

The Army said it conducted the Thursday helicopter flight “in accordance with published FAA flight routes.”

The military service also said it was conducting its own internal inquiry into the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.