Passenger and military jets diverted to avoid possible collision over US capital

The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

A US passenger flight preparing to leave the nation’s capital and an incoming military jet received instructions to divert and prevent a possible collision, officials said.

Delta Air Lines Flight 2983 was cleared for takeoff at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday around 3:15pm, the same time four US Air Force T-38 Talon aircraft were inbound, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

The jets were heading for a flyover of Arlington National Cemetery when the Delta aircraft received an onboard alert of a nearby aircraft.

Air traffic controllers “issued corrective instructions to both aircraft”, according to the FAA, which intends to investigate.

The Airbus A319 with 131 passengers, two pilots and three flight attendants was embarking on a regularly scheduled flight between Reagan and Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, Delta Airlines said.

The flight left its gate at 2.55pm and was scheduled to arrive at Minneapolis-St Paul at 4.36pm local time before the flight crew followed the diversion instructions from the controllers, the airline said.

No injuries were reported.

The Air Force’s website describes the T-38 Talon as “a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer” used by different departments and agencies, including NASA, for various roles including pilot training.