Delta plane and in another near miss in Washington, DC

A Delta jet taking off from Ronald Reagan National Airport on Friday had a close call just two months after the fatal crash of a passenger jet and a military helicopter. The commercial airliner had a TCAS (Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System) warning upon takeoff on Friday, indicating there was another aircraft less than 500 feet below them, in the notoriously busy airspace.

It turned out to be not one, but four Air Force planes flying in formation. Only one aircraft was broadcasting its position, which is not uncommon. The pilot asked the controller if their was an actual aircraft below them when they received the warning, most likely due to the false alerts experienced during testing earlier this month. This video from VASAviation shows how close the aircraft were and has the audio from the concerned pilot.

According to FlightRadar24 the FAA released the following statement:

Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport around 3:15 p.m. local time on Friday, March 28, while four U.S. Air Force T-38 Talons were inbound to Arlington National Cemetery for a flyover.

The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft. The FAA will investigate.