Duffy Rebukes Pentagon After Army Helicopter Flies Too Close to Passenger Jets at DC Area Airport

Two commercial jets were forced to abort landings at Reagan National after an Army helicopter entered their approach path, triggering a federal investigation.

Transportation secretary Sean Duffy speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 9, 2025. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sharply rebuked the Pentagon on May 2 after an Army Black Hawk helicopter flew dangerously close to two commercial airliners at Reagan National Airport (DCA), forcing both to abort landings in what federal authorities are investigating as a “loss of separation” event.

“Unacceptable,” Duffy wrote on social media. “Our helicopter restrictions around DCA are crystal clear. ... I’ll be talking to the Department of Defense to ask why the [expletive] our rules were disregarded.”