Delta Air Lines near miss incident in Washington: A Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 and a U.S. Air Force T-38A Talon jet have been involved in a loss of separation incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
The incident, which occurred on Friday, 28 March around 3:15 p.m. Eastern Time, saw the Delta flight’s Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System issue a resolution advisory (RA).
28 March Loss of Separation Incident
Delta flight DL2983, an Airbus A319-100 registered N342NB carrying 131 passengers and five crew members, was cleared for takeoff from DCA.
The flight was to be a regular scheduled service to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. At the same time, four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon jets were approaching the area for a scheduled flyover at Arlington National Cemetery.
Shortly after takeoff, the Delta aircraft’s Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) issued a resolution advisory, alerting the pilots to a nearby aircraft.
Air traffic control recordings captured the Delta pilot asking, “Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us as we came off of DCA?”
The duty controller then confirmed the traffic, responding, “Delta 2983, affirmative.”
Air traffic controllers quickly issued corrective instructions to both the Delta A319 and the T-38 jets, and the pilots took evasive action to avoid a collision.
Tracking data indicates that one of the T-38 Talon jets was flying at approximately 800 feet altitude and over 350 miles per hour near the Delta aircraft’s flightpath. No injuries were reported, and the Delta flight continued safely to its destination, arriving slightly behind schedule.
Recent Concerns over Close Contact Incidents
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently highlighted a concerning trend. It noted over 15,000 close contact incidents between flights near DCA in the past three years, from 2021 to 2024.
These incidents, where aircraft came within one nautical mile of each other, included 85 cases where the separation was less than 200 feet—situations that posed significant collision risks.
The NTSB emphasized the concerning volume of near misses in busy airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The safety body noted it should have served as a glaring red flag to aviation regulators like the FAA.
The data suggests a systemic failure to address recurring hazards, a point underscored by the agency’s investigation into recent incidents. This now includes including the March 28 incident, and the fatal January 2025 midair collision near the same airport.
Critics argue that these statistics, if acted upon earlier, could have prompted stricter oversight. A proactive approach could have seen procedural changes to mitigate risks in the congested airspace.
Conclusion
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the latest Delta Air Lines near miss incident, which has raised concerns due to its recency following a prior midair collision near DCA in January 2025 that killed 67 people.
That earlier incident involved an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter, highlighting ongoing safety challenges in the busy airspace around Reagan National Airport.
Click the banner to subscribe to our weekly Emergencies and Incidents newsletter.
Click the photo to join our WhatsApp channel so then you can stay up to date with everything going on in the aviation industry!
