Cruz Reveals Cause of False Traffic Alerts

Texas senator says slew of false TCAS alerts near Reagan National was caused by government testing.

Thursday, March 27, 2025 at 12:01 PM ET

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Aircraft at Reagan National Airport [Shutterstock/Ceri Breeze]

Key Takeaways:

False traffic alerts occurred near Reagan National Airport (KDCA) on March 1, which Senator Ted Cruz attributed to the Secret Service and U.S. Navy improperly testing counter-drone technology that interfered with aircraft collision avoidance systems.
This incident, causing "urgent cockpit alerts" for commercial flights, followed a fatal midair collision near KDCA in January and numerous prior loss-of-separation occurrences, raising significant safety concerns.
Although the FAA had previously warned against such frequency use, the Secret Service has denied Cruz's claims, stating they did not conduct drone system testing in the area on March 1.

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New details have emerged about false traffic alerts that occurred near Reagan National Airport (KDCA) in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. During a Senate hearing on Thursday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the alerts were caused by Secret Service and U.S. Navy activity.

Cruz stated that these alerts stemmed from the two agencies “improperly” testing counter-drone technology near the airport on March 1.