Two commercial flights were forced to abort landing at Reagan Washington Airport as a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter deviated from its expected flight path.
On May 1, 2025, two commercial jets — Delta Air Lines flight #DL1671 and Republic Airways flight #DL5825 — were forced to abort their landings at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) due to a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that unexpectedly entered the approach corridor.
At approximately 2:30 p.m., a Priority Air Transport UH-60 Black Hawk (#PAT23) contacted DCA air traffic control (ATC) requesting clearance to depart and fly directly to the Pentagon heliport. The request was approved.
Delta flight #DL1671, an Airbus A319 (N364NB) arriving from Orlando, was on the River Visual approach to Runway 19 and descending over Little Island at about 700 feet MSL when ATC suddenly issued a go-around due to the unexpected proximity of the Black Hawk.
Rather than flying a direct route to the Pentagon from the west, the helicopter took an unplanned scenic path around the Pentagon. This deviation surprised controllers, prompting a radio call: “Are you with me?” The helicopter eventually confirmed it was en route to the Pentagon.
Shortly afterward, Republic Airways flight #DL5825 (N879RW), an Embraer 170 operating for Delta from Boston, was also on final approach to Runway 19. At approximately 450 feet MSL over the 14th Street Bridge, ATC again issued a go-around as the Black Hawk’s path intersected the aircraft’s final approach.
Both aircraft were subsequently vectored into holding patterns and re-sequenced for landing. They safely landed approximately 10 minutes after their respective go-arounds.
An audio recording of ATC communications suggests that the controller was unaware the Black Hawk was intending to land at the Pentagon. At one point, she asked, “Are you trying to land at the Pentagon?” This confusion, coupled with earlier instructions for the helicopter to “report when returning,” suggests the deviation was unanticipated by ATC.
According to unconfirmed reports, the separation between #DL1671 and the Black Hawk dropped to less than 1 mile horizontally and 400 feet vertically. The distance between #DL5825 and the helicopter was even closer — just 0.4 miles and 200 feet.
