This year, there have been over 150 accidents involving planes and helicopters from the US, with that number almost increasing by two when a military jet narrowly avoided a collision with a commercial airline.
A transcript has come to light revealing the intense reaction of the pilot when his plane, carrying 137 passengers, almost collided with a US Air Force jet near Reagan National Airport. This is the same location where a military helicopter crashed into a plane owned by American Airlines on January 29.
Earlier this year, the Washington DC incident marked the deadliest aviation disaster in the US since 2001, resulting in the deaths of all 67 individuals involved.
This was the beginning of a series of well-publicized accidents, placing the aviation industry under heavy scrutiny.
Recently, a Delta Air Lines flight, having just departed from Minneapolis-Saint Paul in Minnesota, experienced a close call when alarms in the cockpit indicated another aircraft had flown perilously close to it.
Chilling audio from the time captures the exchange moments after the incident.
LiveATC.net, which monitors air traffic control communication, recorded the pilot questioning: “Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us?”
The air traffic controller responded: “Affirmative.”
The jet, which passed the Delta plane only minutes after its takeoff, was traveling at speeds exceeding 350mph according to FlightRadar 24. The Federal Aviation Administration reported it had been dispatched for a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery.
On Twitter, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar expressed her concern: “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 released a statement on Friday (March 28) saying: “The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft.”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), there have been 153 civil aviation accidents in the US this year so far, with 23 of those resulting in fatalities.
Following the fatal crash in the US capital, two days later a medical jet crashed in Philadelphia, claiming the lives of all six people on board.
Soon after, on February 6, a plane with 10 passengers went missing over Alaska. The wreckage was eventually found, with all passengers declared deceased.
On February 10 in Arizona, a private plane owned by Vince Neil collided with another aircraft at Scottsdale Airport as it was arriving from Austin, Texas. Vince Neil was not on the flight.
A week later, on February 17, 80 passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight that crashed and flipped over in Toronto were evacuated safely.