WASHINGTON (AP) – The US Capitol was evacuated briefly on Wednesday night after police identified a plane they said was a “potential threat” – but the plane was actually carrying members of the US Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park for pre-game demonstration.
A signal from U.S. Capitol police sent congressional officials to flee the Capitol and the Legislature at about 6:30 p.m.
The incident involved a stunning communication failure between the military and Capitol police, all the more remarkable because of Washington’s focus on improving security following the January 6, 2021 attack on the building by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the Federal Aviation Administration in a statement Wednesday night, saying “the apparent failure to notify Capitol police of a pre-planned overflight at Nationals Stadium is outrageous and unforgivable.” The FAA did not respond to a request for comment.
Many Capitol workers remained on the brink for more than a year after hundreds of pro-Trump rebels made their way past congested police, smashed windows and doors, and searched the Capitol as Congress voted to declare Joe Biden’s election victory.
On Wednesday, the plane, a twin-engine plane, took off from the Andrews Joint Base in Maryland and was circling in very limited airspace near the Capitol when the warning was sent. Radar tracking data shows that the plane, De Havilland Twin Otter, has stayed out of the banned airspace over the Capitol building and other government complexes all along. Air traffic control footage captures the military plane coordinating its flight with the control tower at nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington.
Investigators are still working to find out why the event was not properly coordinated with law enforcement officials in Washington, two acquaintances told the Associated Press. Numerous federal agencies began climbing officials as the plane circled over them.
The metropolitan area is protected by several surface-to-air missile sites, as well as military crews on round-the-clock alert. None of these systems seemed to be encrypted.
Authorities believe the pilot may not have reported properly for take-off or had an appropriate permit based on a preliminary inspection, people said. They were not authorized to discuss the issue in public and spoke to the PA on condition of anonymity.
Pelosi said: “Congress looks forward to reviewing the results of an in-depth post-action review that determines what exactly went wrong today and who in the Federal Aviation Administration will be held accountable for this outrageous and frightening mistake.
The plane landed back in Andrews around 6:50 p.m., after paratroopers landed in midfield in Nationals Park. The stadium, home to the Washington Nationals baseball team, is just over a mile from the US Capitol.
One witness to the chaos in the Capitol was Eirean Dolan, the wife of national pitcher Sean Doolittle. “I was walking the dogs past Dirksen’s Senate office building,” Dolan tweeted. “People started broadcasting all at once. I was told to turn around and leave as soon as possible. Some people were calm, but many were genuinely panicked. I know I was. ”
The buildings in the Capitol complex reopened shortly after 8 p.m.
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Associated Press authors Mary Clare Jalonik and Alan Fram contributed to this report.
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