Malfunctioning Hotline Raises Air Safety Concerns in D.C. Following Army Helicopter Near Miss
A critical hotline between military and civilian air traffic control in D.C. has been down since March 2022, causing safety fears after recent near misses.
Overview
A malfunctioning hotline linking military and civilian air traffic controllers has raised significant safety concerns following a series of near misses involving helicopters near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed it was unaware of the outage until a recent near miss prompted questions. This hotline, which has been out of service since March 2022, is critical for air traffic coordination. Senator Ted Cruz expressed concerns over safety, especially following a deadly January collision. The FAA is insisting on fixing the hotline before resuming helicopter flights in the area.
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Analysis
- The non-functional hotline between military and civilian air traffic controllers has raised significant safety concerns, especially following a recent near miss and a tragic prior incident.
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Associated Press·2M·FAQ
The hotline outage was not reported to the FAA until a recent near miss prompted questions about it. The exact reasons for the lack of earlier reporting are unclear, but the FAA only became aware of it after a recent incident raised concerns about air safety.
The FAA is demanding that the hotline be fixed before allowing helicopter flights to resume in the area, emphasizing the importance of this hotline for air traffic coordination.
The outage is linked to recent safety concerns following a deadly collision in January and a near miss involving an Army helicopter, highlighting the critical need for reliable communication between military and civilian air traffic control.
History
- This story does not have any previous versions.