A Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 narrowly avoided a collision with at least one US Air Force T-38 jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
On March 28, 2025, Delta Flight 2983, an Airbus A319 bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), was departing Runway 19 around 3:15 p.m. local time when the crew received an onboard Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alert indicating nearby aircraft proximity.
The alert came as four US Air Force T-38 Talon jets were flying north along the Potomac River for a planned ceremonial flyover of Arlington National Cemetery.
Only one of the four Talons was broadcasting ADS-B data at the time, a standard practice in formation flying, raising the possibility that more than one aircraft in the formation may have been in close proximity to the Delta jet.
The T-38 Talon is a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer developed by Northrop during the Cold War era and used to this day in a variety of roles by the USAF and other allied powers.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 revealed that the trainer jet, call sign DO61, passed close to Delta 2983 at approximately 800 feet altitude, traveling at over 350 miles per hour. The Talon with registration 67-14833 had taken off and later returned to Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.
During takeoff, the Delta aircraft’s onboard alert system detected a nearby aircraft, prompting air traffic controllers to issue immediate corrective instructions to both planes, successfully averting a potential collision.
The Delta flight continued its journey and landed safely in Minneapolis. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated an investigation into the incident.
This near-miss occurred just two months after a tragic midair collision near the same airport, where an American Airlines passenger jet and a US Army helicopter collided over the Potomac River, resulting in 67 fatalities.
