Plane aborts landing at Reagan National after vehicle spotted on runway

An airliner aborted landing at Reagan National Airport due to a maintenance vehicle on the runway. Photo / Ricky Carioti, The Washington Post

An airliner had to abort a landing attempt at Reagan National Airport after pilots spotted a maintenance vehicle on the runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic control communications.

Republic Airways Flight 4528 was arriving from Detroit around 7am on Monday. An air traffic controller initially cleared the plane to land on the airport’s main runway before asking pilots to circle to the shorter Runway 33.

The pilots agreed to the change of course, according to communications archived by LiveATC.net. But as the jet approached the runway, one of the pilots came back on the radio: “Tower, is there a vehicle on 33?”

The controller confirmed that there was and told the plane to circle around.

The FAA said on Monday that maintenance crews were inspecting the runway and that it was investigating the incident.

A spokesman for Republic Airways said he didn’t have any information about the incident. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which runs National, referred questions to the FAA.

The FAA says go-rounds are a standard measure to ensure safety, but they can be jarring for passengers not anticipating a swift change of course. The Republic flight looped around before ultimately landing on the main runway.

Controllers at National regularly ask smaller regional jets whether they can circle to Runway 33 so the tower can manage the busy flow of departures and arrivals. The manoeuvre requires pilots to swing off their path along the Potomac River and hook over land before arriving.

The sequence on Monday was similar to the moments before the deadly January 29 collision involving a regional jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people. A controller had asked the jet to circle to Runway 33, bringing it into the path of the helicopter.

The crash has put scrutiny on the FAA’s management of the busy airspace around National, prompting changes in how the agency handles traffic, including the closure of the helicopter route where the crash happened. The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate.

There have been other incidents near the airport since the crash, including one in May when two airliners had to go around to keep clear of an Army helicopter landing at the Pentagon.

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