DOD Halts Helicopter Flights Near Pentagon

Suspension comes after two airliners were forced into a go-around after one Black Hawk took a ‘scenic route.’

Ryan Ewing

Monday, May 05, 2025 at 03:36 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Black Hawk helicopter over Washington. [Credit: Nicholas Priest/U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The Department of Defense has suspended helicopter training flights near the Pentagon after a Black Hawk helicopter caused two commercial airliners to execute go-arounds at Reagan National Airport (KDCA).
This suspension comes just days after the Army resumed training flights in the area, following a deadly midair collision in January involving a Black Hawk operating under the same call sign.
The FAA reported that the Black Hawk crew involved in the recent incident did not follow published procedures, prompting an internal inquiry by the Army into the 12th Aviation Battalion, the unit involved in both incidents.

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The Department of Defense is suspending helicopter training flights in the Washington, D.C., region, specifically near the Pentagon. This change comes just days after the Army resumed training flights in the area following January’s deadly midair collision between a Black Hawk and American Eagle CRJ-700.

On Thursday, two separate commercial flights—operated by Republic Airways and Delta Air Lines—were forced to go-around while on approach to Runway 19 at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA).