Pentagon to Reagan National Airport hotline was down since March 2022
EarthCam video showing the Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines jet over Reagan Washington National Airport. (EarthCam)
A hotline between the Pentagon and Reagan National Airport was discovered to be inoperable since March 2022. The Department of Defense has responsibility for maintaining this line. It wasn’t until after May 1 when aviation officials discovered that the line was not working. Aviation officials played it safe and had a couple of passenger jets abort their landings while a black hawk was in the air near the Pentagon.
From The Washington Post:
In another fresh disclosure, McIntosh said that at the time of the May 1 airspace conflicts, responsibility in National’s tower for guiding helicopters and other local traffic was combined under one person — a consolidation of tasks also in place the night of the deadly crash. Combining the jobs can increase the workload on controllers, experts say.
After the crash, the FAA closed a helicopter route that passed along the Potomac River to the east of National and restricted helicopter traffic in an area around the airport. But military, police and medical helicopter flights have continued in the region, causing ongoing disruptions to passenger traffic. The Washington Post has identified at least two other flights to the Pentagon since the crash using the same looping route.
McIntosh testified that the FAA was continuing to weigh its procedures in hopes of getting the Defense Department to exhibit “better behaviors.”
Under questioning from Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), McIntosh confirmed that after the May 1 incident, officials considered whether to suspend an agreement that allows the military to fly in the Washington area without receiving FAA clearance beforehand. Before the FAA took that step, however, the Army unit in Virginia announced that it would once again suspend helicopter flights to the Pentagon while it carried out a review.
“We were extremely troubled by the incident that occurred, especially in light of DCA and the events that led up to the accident,” McIntosh said, referring to National by its airport code. “We were ready to deploy any option that we could use or we felt was necessary.”
Additional Reading:
Duncan, I. (2025, May 14). National Airport, Pentagon hotline had been disconnected for three years. The Washington Post. Link.
Category: Government Incompetence, Pentagon
Also for your consideration:
https://pjmedia.com/kevindowneyjr/2025/05/14/home-front-alert-isis-attack-thwarted-in-michigan-n4939798
We need to stay vigilant, they never give up.
Did someone forget to pay the bill for that telephone line? Who did the Pentagon hire for their Circuit Management, All Points Logistics?
Phil Monkress (CEO of All-Points Logistics) probably pocketed the money and was more interested in using smoke signals in line with his highly questionable and more likely than not culturally-appropriated Native American heritage.
Well the TA-312 he had installed had not had it’s batteries replaced in a while and someone broke the handle off the hand crank! Phil Monkress, CEO and founder of All-Points Logistics the company responsible for maintaining the line, is quoted as saying “Hey, we can’t fix what we don’t know about. I don’t care how many billions the government pays me, if they don’t hold up their end of the agreement and tell me something isn’t working, I can’t fix it. Not my fault…”
If you don’t PM your gear, you can’t have any comm.
How can you have any comm if you don’t PM your gear?
Really loved the advertisements and n the back, like ordering a pair of Night Vision X-Ray Specs or earning cash and fabulous prizes with an Herbalife franchised
.
Seamonkeys!
We call them Sailors here.
I see what you did there mr stone
Read it. Learn it. Love it.
https://www.radionerds.com/images/b/be/TM_11-5805-201-12.pdf
Lot of good having a Hot Line if it’s not checked now and again. Three (3) effing years? DaPhuque?!!?
This is another reason why we can’t have nice things.
Talk about deferred maintenance….
‘back in my I was a medic days; we had a crash phone in the emergency room. When it rang you picked it up, didn’t say a word, listened to the announcement, and waited until your unit was asked to verify you understood the message. Often, the message was, “This is an exercise”. Sometimes the message was “Incoming with something wrong with it.” Sometimes it was worse. It only took seconds to get the emergency response into action.
It was so simple even an E-2 could do it.
I seem to recall something like that from AIT (as an E-1), for example—- “Ace high 6 this is 36India, radio check, over”?
There is an easy explanation. They put it on Joes desk and told him it was the hot line. Just pick up and call any time. Then some guy in another room would pretend to be whoever he thought he was talking to. They just forgot to hook it back up when they left.
It was probably a pay phone, too boot.
It was, but in reverse. To activate it he had to take a Xanax before picking it up.
Jesus fucking Christ.
It’s been said multiple times. Still needs to be said: FJB!
But now it’s Donald Trump’s fault because he’s in office now, just ask our resident babbling moonbat!
It keeps him entertained.
It ain’t that difficult to keep a dedicated phone running. Step one is somebody has to report it as out.
Back in the day we called it an orderwire.
I think I just might have a reel of that somewhere…
String and two cans, very simple technology low cost, no batteries. I’m sure the Pentagon was paying for the line since 2022.
TA-1 as backup for the TA-312.
We used AUTOSEVOCOM with a rotary phone back in the 70s. Worked like a charm. Hardened pressurized cables.
Works great but limited range and really difficult to encrypt.
Wow. That’s crazy.
And they make us pick up the brass after every training event.
Are you part of the Precious Metals Recover Expert Badge brotherhood too?
Rolling Stones have a new video with Sydney Sweeney in it:
“Rolling Stones have a new video”
Is it a “talkie”?
What was Booty Buttplug more interested in?
Just look at his name.
He digs the large one.