FAA official attributes deadly January helicopter crash to lack of communication.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee last week, where they disclosed that a hotline connecting the Pentagon to air traffic controllers at Reagan Washington National Airport has been offline since March 2022. This hotline was used to alert the FAA to military operations before they were enacted around U.S. airports.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer Franklin McIntosh of the FAA’s Operations in the Air Traffic Organization attributed the deadly air crash caused by an Army Black Hawk helicopter in January to this lack of communication between the departments. He added that the FAA was preparing to rescind its waiver allowing the military to engage in operations around U.S. airports without FAA permission for this reason. He stated, “We’re insisting upon that line to be fixed before we resume any operations out of the Pentagon.”
“We were extremely troubled by the incident that occurred,” the deputy chief operating officer said. “We were ready to weigh any option available that we could use… to bring safety measures and better behaviors from the [Department of Defense].”
Mr. McIntosh added, “I would expect the DOD to expedite the timeline so they can begin operations.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Deputy COO McIntosh to seek God’s guidance as he manages the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization.
- For Secretary Sean Duffy to be led by the Lord as he heads the Transportation Department.
- For God to direct the president and transportation secretary as they seek to improve air traffic safety.
- For air traffic controllers as they work to maintain the safe movement of private, commercial, and military aircraft, on the ground and in the air.
Sources: Reuters, The Hill, MSN
