Post

WHOA. At least three passenger jets appear to have had rejected landings/go-rounds in ~30 minutes while that UFC light show was going a mile away. @aaronparnas.bsky.social previously reported a commercial pilot filed an FAA safety report about being “nearly blinded” by a test run of the lights.

From the ATC recording, it sounds like the third one, SWA1295, may have been due to a helicopter either in or close to their lane. There is no helicopter in the flight data, so they either misunderstood what they were seeing or there was a military helicopter flying without a signal.

Obviously scary echoes possible there… Also, less than a week ago, at least nine planes had to go into extended holding patterns bc of Trump’s visit to the Knicks game via JFK. (Not dangerous, just annoying and disrespectful.) bsky.app/profile/gill...

And I should say, there was a Park Police helicopter circling the White House the whole time this was happening, but it didn't go near the helicopter lane on the Potomac, so I don't think it was the one they were referring to? But I could be wrong!

Omfg two more! Another SWA another AA flight. That is five rejected landings/go-rounds at DCA in a 2 1/2-hour period, that is wild. There is a blindingly bright molten UFC core shining about a mile away from the flight path shining moving beams.