Additional Coverage:
- FAA opens probe on why flights approaching Ronald Reagan airport received false alerts of nearby aircraft (foxnews.com)
Reagan National Airport Under Investigation After Ghost Plane Alerts
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a string of mysterious alerts that spooked pilots approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Saturday. Several incoming flights received warnings of nearby aircraft, despite no other planes being present in the airspace. In response to the phantom aircraft, some pilots were forced to abort their landings and circle around for another attempt.
The FAA has confirmed the incident and launched an investigation to determine the cause of the false alerts, but hasn’t disclosed which airlines were affected. This incident comes amidst heightened scrutiny of aviation safety, particularly at Reagan National.
Just last week, an American Airlines flight had to abort its landing to avoid a potential collision, and investigators are still piecing together the events of the fatal January 29th mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. The string of incidents includes a deadly medevac jet crash in Philadelphia days later, and a Delta Air Lines crash landing in Toronto in February, though all passengers on the Delta flight survived.