FAA apologizes for no advance warning before parachute jump, Capitol evacuation
The interagency communication breakdown in some of the nation’s most sensitive airspace raised questions over preparedness
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transpor ... vacuation/
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday apologized for not providing advanced notification to the Capitol Police that an Army parachute team would fly over Nationals Park.
The flight Wednesday led the Capitol Police to order an evacuation of the Capitol and nearby buildings.
The communication breakdown regarding some of nation’s most sensitive airspace raised questions over the federal government’s preparedness more than 20 years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The FAA did not detail how its error occurred, an issue that remains the subject of a review.
“We deeply regret that we contributed to a precautionary evacuation of the Capitol complex and apologize for the disruption and fear experienced by those who work there,” the agency said in a statement late Friday. The FAA said it is “taking immediate steps to ensure that we always coordinate well in advance with other agencies to avoid confusion,” and values its partnership with the Capitol Police.
Former FAA administrator Michael Huerta said that in addition to an advanced notification, the FAA also sends a “real-time notification” to the National Capital Regional Coordination Center, based in Herndon, Va., when pilots begin such flights. The coordination center was set up to monitor restricted airspace in the Washington area and houses representatives from the Capitol Police, Secret Service, Department of Defense and other agencies.
The FAA did not address the issue of real-time notifications in its statement Friday. Huerta said representatives at the coordination center are tasked with communicating with colleagues at their respective agencies, and “that’s one potential area where the communication broke down.”
“Everyone there has a responsibility to take whatever action is necessary for their organization,” including the Capitol Police, Huerta said. “Everyone who is part of this process had the responsibility to notify their principals about what’s going on.”
The Army team took off at 6:09 p.m., according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, and the Capitol Police’s alert to evacuate was sent at 6:32 p.m.
The Capitol Police declined to comment Friday on when the agency became aware that the flight was legitimate, or to discuss the details or timing of its Wednesday actions.
“We are working with our federal law enforcement and aviation partners to piece together specifics in hopes of preventing a similar incident from happening again,” the Capitol Police said in statement Friday.
Police said in a statement a day earlier that “we were not given advanced notice of an approved flight.” The agency said that each week it “is made aware of hundreds of authorized flights in the restricted airspace. It is extremely unusual not to be made aware of a flight in advance.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had issued a public scolding of the FAA after Wednesday’s evacuation. She said the agency’s “apparent failure to notify Capitol Police” was “inexcusable,” and said Congress wants to see a thorough review identifying “who at the Federal Aviation Administration will be held accountable for this outrageous and frightening mistake.”
The plane, carrying members of the Golden Knights parachute team, was circling in what the FAA calls the Flight-Restricted Zone, which stretches about 15 nautical miles around Reagan National Airport. After the 2001 terrorist attacks, pilots were required to obtain special advance permission to enter that airspace.
Military pilots routinely obtain permission to fly in that restricted airspace. In general, the military entity will provide the FAA with information about where it plans to fly and when, the type of airplane and the purpose of the flight, Huerta said. Once the permission is granted by the FAA, the plan is supposed to be shared widely via the regional coordination center.
Army says it notified FAA of flight that triggered Capitol evacuation
“These are not unusual events,” Huerta said. “We have a lot of sports teams in Washington, and oftentimes pregame ceremonies have flyovers and the participation of the military. This is something both the military and FAA handle routinely.”
The U.S. Army Recruiting Command said in a statement Thursday that the Army parachute team had filed all required documentation and received FAA approval before the flight. The pilots also “established and maintained communication with the FAA before and throughout the operation,” according to the statement.
Maj. Andrew Scott, a spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which monitors the nation’s airspace, said officials there also saw nothing of concern in the Army team’s flight near the Capitol, since “that aircraft was allowed to be there.”
The same sense of comfort was not shared by Capitol Police or those who received the evacuation notice.
In her statement Wednesday, Pelosi decried the “unnecessary panic” the FAA’s “apparent negligence” caused evacuees still traumatized by the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. When asked about the FAA statement, a Pelosi spokesperson referred to her previous comments.
There are also risks for those in the air when confusion takes hold among federal agencies. The FAA warns on its website that failure to adhere to restrictions in the Washington region’s restricted airspace “may result in interception by military aircraft and/or the use of force. This applies to all aircraft,” including those from the Department of Defense, the FAA said.
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