The FAA said that several flight crews inbound to the Reagan National Airport reported onboard alerts when no other aircraft were nearby.

Summary

The FAA is investigating multiple false Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alerts received by flights landing at Washington Reagan National Airport on Saturday.

This follows January’s deadly Black Hawk crash at the airport.

At least five aircraft, including American Eagle flights, reported warnings of unknown descending objects, prompting some to take evasive action. However, no visual confirmation of threats was made.

Experts call the situation unusual, as TCAS is aircraft-based rather than centrally controlled. The issue has not recurred since Saturday morning.