{"id":102341,"date":"2025-07-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=102341"},"modified":"2025-07-05T22:13:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T16:43:46","slug":"delta-a319-near-miss-with-us-air-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/06\/delta-a319-near-miss-with-us-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Delta A319 Near Miss with US Air Force: FAA, NTSB Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON, D.C-<\/strong> A Delta Air Lines (DL) <\/a>Airbus A319-100 operating flight DL2983 from Washington National Airport (DCA) to Minneapolis (MSP) narrowly avoided a midair collision with four U.S. Air Force T-38 jets during initial climb on March 28, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the aircraft climbed through 1,300 feet after departure from DCA\u2019s Runway 19, the pilots received a TCAS resolution advisory indicating another aircraft was 500 feet below. The near miss occurred near Arlington, Virginia, while the military jets were en route for a ceremonial flyover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Delta
Photo: By Alan Wilson – Airbus A319-114 ‘N327NB’ Delta, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=33925401<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Delta A319 Near Miss with US Air Force<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The incident involved Delta flight DL2983<\/strong> and a formation of U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon jets (callsign DRAGO61) operating under military flight rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both aircraft sets came within 100 feet vertically and 0.7 nautical miles horizontally of each other, well below FAA-required separation standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FAA<\/a> confirmed air traffic controllers provided corrective instructions after onboard TCAS systems alerted the Delta crew to the threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flight proceeded without further issues and landed safely at Minneapolis\u2013St. Paul International Airport (MSP). The FAA launched an investigation, and the NTSB released its preliminary findings on July 3, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Delta
Photo: By Aero Icarus from Z\u00fcrich, Switzerland – Delta Air Lines Airbus A319-114; N342NB@SLC;09.10.2011\/621dl, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=26713181<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Timeline Reveals Communication Gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The NTSB report reconstructed the event, highlighting significant miscommunication and timing errors between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)<\/a> tower and the Potomac Consolidated TRACON (PCT) overseeing the DRAGO61 formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key points include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n