Just one day before the deadly crash between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter near the nation’s capital on Wednesday evening, a passenger jet had to abort its initial landing at Reagan National Airport after a chopper appeared in its flight path, airline officials and radar data confirmed.
FlightAware, a site that tracks flight paths, shows Republic Airways Flight 4514 − bound for the same airport − departed from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. ET.
The town is in Hartford County, just under 15 miles north of the state’s capitol.
Upon its first approach, about 7 p.m. ET, the airplane can be seen on radar diverting from its scheduled course, then turning west, circling around, and landing during a second attempt to land at Reagan National Airport.
According to an audio recording from air traffic control, the passenger airliner had to make a second approach “after a helicopter appeared near its flight path,” Republic Airways Corporate Communication spokesperson Jon Austin confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.
The Washington Post first reported the incident.
The mishap came one day before AA Flight 5342 − carrying 60 passengers and four crewmembers − collided with a Black Hawk trying to land at Reagan National Airport. The helicopter had three people on board.
All are feared dead, officials said Thursday.
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The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, which confirmed Thursday that divers had recovered black boxes from the passenger plane.
During a news conference, NTSB member Todd Inman said the military helicopter was also equipped “with some form of recording.”
“We feel comfortable and confident” the chopper boxes would be recovered, Inman told reporters Thursday afternoon.
USA TODAY has reached out to the NTSB, the Federal Aviation Administration about Tuesday’s reported incident.
Who does the helicopter belong to?
It was not immediately known whether the chopper belonged to the military, a hospital or was a private aircraft.
But the plane reached an altitude of about 1,600 feet during its first descent, FlightAware shows.
At the same time, the airline’s spokesperson confirmed audio and flight-tracking data showed the helicopter flew about 300 feet from the ground.
According to audio from LiveATC.net, while approaching runway 19, air traffic control warned the jet about a nearby helicopter.
Republic Airways Flight 4514’s landing delayed by less than 10 minutes
FlightAware’s log shows the incident caused the flight’s landing to be delayed just under 10 minutes.
The plane arrived at the gate at 8:16 p.m., according to the online site.
No injuries were reported.
This is a developing story.
Contributing: USA TODAY’s Charles Ventura
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
