US FAA to investigate close call between Delta flight and Air Force jet

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will investigate a close call on Friday. This incident involved a Delta Air Lines flight and a U.S. Air Force jet near Reagan Washington National Airport.

This event follows an air collision on January 29. That crash involved a passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter, killing 67 people. It was the first deadly U.S. passenger airline crash in 16 years.

Concerns about U.S. aviation safety have grown recently. A series of near-miss incidents over the past two years has raised alarms. The strain on understaffed air traffic control operations is also a factor.

On Friday, Delta Flight 2389 was headed for Minneapolis. The Airbus A319 was cleared for takeoff at 3:15 p.m. ET (1915 GMT). Four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound for a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Delta jet received a cockpit collision warning alert about another aircraft nearby. Controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft during the incident.

Senator Amy Klobuchar called the situation "unbelievably dangerous." She expressed relief that no one was harmed and questioned why military planes were flying so low.

The Pentagon acknowledged reports of the incident but had no immediate comment.

Delta reported five crew members and 131 passengers on board Flight 2389. They stated that the flight crew followed procedures as instructed and would cooperate with regulators in any review.

According to CNN, audio from LiveATC.net revealed that the Delta pilot asked controllers about an aircraft below them during takeoff. The controller confirmed there was indeed another aircraft nearby.

The January collision raised concerns about military safety systems like ADS-B used in training flights.

In response, the FAA imposed permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations around Reagan Airport. Helicopters and passenger jets are now barred from flying near each other.

These actions followed urgent safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board after the January collision.

Last month, a Southwest Airlines flight nearly collided with a business jet at Chicago Midway Airport when it aborted landing due to proximity issues.

On March 1, more than a dozen flights approaching Reagan National received false cockpit warnings, leading six to abort landings. The FAA stated this was due to government testing of counter-drone technology.