Legislators are asking questions after alleged misuse of counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) by the Secret Service disrupted aviation safety protocols at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) in Washington, D.C., in early March.
U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen and Bennie Thompson sent the letter addressed to Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on April 14 asking 10 questions about the incident.
The letter stated that C-UAS use by the Secret Service resulted in false Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alerts last month on several commercial passenger aircraft operating near DCA.
“These erroneous alerts caused confusion among flight crews in one of the most complex airspaces in the country, introducing an unnecessary safety risk that potentially endangered hundreds of American lives,” the letter stated.
The letter further alleges that the Secret Service broke the law by violating agreed-upon operating parameters and failing to meet notification requirements as required by the FAA.
Specifically, the letter cited section 124n of Title 6 of the United States Code, which both authorizes and sets parameters for C-UAS activities by the Department of Homeland Security.
“At such a tenuous time for U.S. aviation, this blatant disregard for long-standing safety protocols is entirely unacceptable,” the letter stated.
So What Happened?
According to the letter, a series of TCAS alerts incorrectly recommended 10 advisories and three aircraft go-arounds to commercial and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft around KDCA during the first week of March.
Afterward, the FAA identified Secret Service C-UAS technology from a nearby Department of Defense location causing the false alerts.
“The FAA confirmed that the system in question was approved for operation within a specific radio frequency parameter and with the necessary filtering to prevent interference into adjacent spectrum bands, to which the [Secret Service] allegedly agreed,” the letter stated. “However, the FAA determined that despite its pre-deployment coordination with the [Secret Service], the agency operated this C-UAS system outside of the agreed-upon requirements.Even more troubling, the FAA did not receive any notifications from USSS about this C-UAS activation, in violation of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Concept of Operations (CONOPS).”
After referencing January’s midair collision near KDCA, the letter lambasted the “inability to coordinate effectively” between the departments involved.
“[I]t is our expectation that your Departments work together to determine all contributing factors to these incidents and develop a plan to prevent similar incidents from happening again at DCA or any other U.S. airport,” the letter stated.
The letter asked that both secretaries respond to the inquiry by April 21.
