A U.S. passenger flight preparing to take off from Washington D.C. and a military jet were directed to change their paths to avoid a potential collision, officials reported.
Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was given the green light for takeoff from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday at around 3:15 p.m. At the same time, four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon jets were approaching for a planned flyover at Arlington National Cemetery, as stated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Delta flight received an alert indicating an approaching aircraft, prompting air traffic controllers to provide instructions to both the commercial plane and the military jets. The FAA indicated that they will look into the matter further.
The Airbus A319, carrying 131 passengers along with two pilots and three flight attendants, was on a routine route from Reagan to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Delta Airlines confirmed that the flight departed its gate at 2:55 p.m. and was due to land in Minneapolis-St. Paul at 4:36 p.m. local time before the flight crew received and adhered to the diversion commands from air traffic control.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries in this incident. The Air Force describes the T-38 Talon as a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer used by various departments, including NASA, for pilot training and other purposes.
