Delta Flight Nearly Collides With Air Force Jet: What To Know

A Delta Air Lines jet narrowly avoided a midair collision with a U.S. Air Force T-38 military aircraft on Friday.

Why It Matters

The incident took place just miles from Ronald Reagan Airport (DCA) in Washington D.C., where a deadly plane crash in January claimed 67 lives.

What To Know

Delta Flight 2983, an Airbus A319 bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul, had just taken off from DCA at around 3:15 p.m. when the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, a cockpit warning system designed to prevent midair collisions, issued a "resolution advisory" to signal that the plane was on a potential collision course with another aircraft.

A resolution advisory is a high-level warning that instructs pilots to take immediate action—such as climbing or descending—to avoid a crash.

Tracking data from FlightRadar24 shows an Air Force T-38 jet flying past the Delta plane and DCA going more than 350 miles per hour at 800 feet.

Two pilots, three flight attendants, and 131 passengers were onboard the Delta flight.

The military jet was operating from Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. Four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover at the time of the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

Audio captured by LiveATC.net shows that the Delta pilot asked air traffic control: "On that departure ... was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us as we came off of DCA?"

"Delta 2983, affirmative," the controller responded.

Delta confirmed the incident and said its crew responded appropriately.

It comes after another incident in the same airspace involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter. The two aircraft collided midair, killing 67 people, on January 29.

The National Transportation Safety Board has since revealed that between 2021 and 2024, there were over 15,000 incidents where commercial airplanes and helicopters came within one nautical mile (1.15 miles) of each other. In 85 of those cases, the aircraft were separated by just 1,500 feet vertically and 200 feet laterally.

On Thursday, senators demanded to know why close calls between military helicopters and passenger planes went unchecked for so long at DCA. On the same day, the FAA said it would require military aircraft near the airport to fly with specific collision avoidance equipment turned on.

Following Friday's near miss, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that she would contact the Department of Defense to question why military planes were flying just 500 feet below a passenger jet.

What People Are Saying

Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote on X: "Unbelievably dangerous and thank God people are safe. My first call to Department of Defense tomorrow: 'Why are your planes flying 500 feet below passenger jets full of Minnesotans headed from DCA to my state.'"

The FAA said in a statement: "Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff at 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 inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover.

"The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft."

They added in a statement to Fox News: "We are currently collecting information, but have not yet launched an investigation."

Delta Air Lines said in a statement: "Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people. That's why the flight crew followed procedures to maneuver the aircraft as instructed."

What Happens Next

The FAA has said it will investigate the incident.