A Delta Air Lines jet narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force T-38 military aircraft on Friday near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just miles from the site of a deadly crash in January that claimed 67 lives.
Delta Flight 2983, an Airbus A319 en route to Minneapolis-St. Paul, had just taken off from DCA around 3 p.m. when its Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) triggered a “resolution advisory,” instructing the pilots to take evasive action.
“Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us as we departed DCA?” the Delta pilot asked air traffic control around 3:18 p.m., according to audio captured by LiveATC.net.
“Delta 2983, affirmative,” the controller responded.
The military jet was operating from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 3:15 p.m. local time on Friday, March 28, while four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were approaching Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover.
The FAA stated that the Delta aircraft received an onboard alert indicating another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers then provided corrective instructions to both planes. The agency will conduct an investigation into the incident.
Delta confirmed the incident, stating that its crew responded correctly. “The safety of our customers and people is our top priority, which is why the flight crew followed procedures to maneuver the aircraft as instructed,” said spokesperson Morgan Durrant. The flight, carrying 131 passengers, two pilots, and three flight attendants, landed on schedule at MSP at 4:36 p.m. local time.
This incident follows closely after the January 29 crash in nearly the same airspace, where an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided, resulting in the deaths of everyone on board both aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board has since disclosed that thousands of near-miss incidents occurred near DCA between 2021 and 2024.
As a result, Congress and aviation regulators are facing increasing pressure to strengthen safety measures in the heavily congested Washington airspace.
