Delta Air Lines A319-USAF T-38 Near Miss at DCA

DALLAS — A Delta Air Lines (DL) Airbus A319 and a flight of four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons came close to a mid-air collision at Washington National Airport (DCA) on March 28, 2025. 

Almost immediately after takeoff, the DL flight crew received a TCAS Resolution Advisory (RA), which led to an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Incident Overview

Delta Air Lines Flight 2983—an Airbus A319-114, registration N342NB—took off from Runway 19 at 19:16 UTC, departing for Minneapolis (MSP). Simultaneously, a formation of four U.S. Air Force T-38A Talons operating as the call sign DO61 was flying north along the Potomac River ahead of a ceremonial flyover at Arlington National Cemetery.

The registered 67-14833 T-38 was generating ADS-B data, while the following three formation members were ATC communicating but not generating position data.

Immediately following their handoff from the DCA tower to Potomac Departure, the DL flight crew received a TCAS RA and asked ATC if there was an alert in their area. At a reported barometric altitude of 800 feet (GPS 875 feet), the controller confirmed T-38 formation presence, which placed them about 500 feet beneath the departing Delta short-haul jet.

Despite their proximity, though, both flights continued safely on their way. The DD A319 jet arrived in Minnesota at 21:40 UTC, and the T-38s returned to Langley AFB in Virginia at 19:51 UTC.

FAA Investigation, Prior Safety Issues

The FAA has opened an investigation into the incident. The agency said air traffic controllers provided corrective instructions to both planes to achieve separation.

The event comes as DCA faces increased scrutiny over airspace safety. Concerns about close calls between military and civilian aircraft near the airport were recently the focus of a congressional hearing.

Between 2021 and 2024, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recorded over 15,000 instances in which aircraft passed within one nautical mile of each other, with 85 of those paths being separated by just 1,500 feet vertically and 200 feet laterally.

We can recall when on January 29 an American Airlines (AA) regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter mid-air, killing 67. In light of this accident, the FAA closed the helicopter flight path near the airport and ordered military planes in the region to use collision avoidance systems. Despite this, the March 28 incident still took place.

Delta Air Lines, FAA Statements

In a statement, DL reiterated its dedication to safety. “The safety of our customers and people is our top priority,” said airline spokesman Morgan Durrant. “That is why the flight crew executed procedures to ground the aircraft as directed.”

At the time of the incident, the DL A319 was carrying 131 passengers, two pilots, and three flight attendants.

The FAA’s review will determine whether existing safety protocols are adequate and whether more needs to be done to avoid future near-misses in the DCA airspace.

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