Delta plane nearly collides with Air Force jet mid-flight near DC airport; investigation launched

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A Delta Air Lines plane nearly collided with an Air Force jet on Friday near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The near-collision happened just months after the deadly aircraft crash between an Army helicopter and a passenger plane in Washington, D.C.

Delta Flight 2983 departed from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 3:15 p.m. on Friday, bound for Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The system issued a 'resolution advisory,' directing the pilots to take evasive action.

At the same time that the Delta Airbus A319 had taken off from Reagan International, four U.S. Air Force T-38s approached from the opposite direction.

The U.S. Air Force T-38s turned north on the east side of the Potomac River as the jets flew directly over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover of a funeral, according to FlightRadar24.com.

USA Today reported that the Airbus A319 received a cockpit warning known as a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. The system issued a “resolution advisory,” directing the pilots to take evasive action.

The Federal Aviation Administration stated in a press release: "The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft."

Shortly after the near miss, one of the Delta pilots asked Reagan air traffic controllers, "Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us as we came off DCA?"

The departure controller responded, "Delta 2983, affirmative."

CNN reported that the Air Force T-38 jets were flying past the Delta plane and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport while traveling more than 350 mph at an altitude of 800 feet.

The Delta Air Lines plane continued to Minneapolis while the T-38s returned to Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.

The flight had 131 passengers, two pilots, and three flight attendants on board at the time, a Delta spokesperson said.

Delta Air Lines confirmed the incident and said its crew responded appropriately.

“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,” Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant stated.

The FAA said it is investigating the incident.

This near mid-flight crash comes in the wake of the mid-air collision on Jan. 29 between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines plane just south of Reagan National that killed 67 people — the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster since 2001.

A recent National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report revealed there were 15,240 “close proximity events” between commercial planes and helicopters near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport between October 2021 and December 2024.

BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere's investigation unearthed several eyebrow-raising developments in how airports are using outdated technology, DEI practices that exclude the most qualified would-be air traffic controllers, and severely understaffed air traffic towers.

Billionaire Elon Musk shared the documentary on the X social media platform last week.