'Inexcusable': After errant flight evacuates Capitol, the hunt begins to hold someone accountable
The evacuation of the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday quickly went from scary to 'you can't be serious.' Then the investigation began.
Hundreds of flights enter the restricted airspace around the U.S. Capitol each week. They typically inform the FAA in advance and seamlessly move through an area that's secured with surface-to-air missile sites, among other measures.
But Washington residents found out late Wednesday what happens when those notifications aren't made after U.S. Capitol Police spotted a plane they considered a "probable threat" circling the area, resulting in an alert and an evacuation of the Capitol.
It took several minutes for authorities to determine the plane was actually carrying the U.S. Army's Golden Knights for a parachuting stunt over Nationals Park baseball stadium, home of the Washington Nationals, for Military Appreciation Night.
But by then, the damage was done: The Capitol was evacuated, residents were left rattled and congressional leaders were calling for an investigation.
Capitol Police said Thursday that it “must make split-second decisions that could make the difference between life and death. The decision to evacuate the campus is not one we take lightly.”
Here's what we know about Wednesday's evacuation:
What should have happened
Capitol Police said Thursday that while officers are informed of hundreds of authorized flights in the restricted airspace each week, "it is extremely unusual not to be made aware of a flight in advance."
"As soon as it was determined that we were not given advanced notice of an approved flight, our officers followed USCP policies and procedures and immediately led everyone safely out of the Congressional buildings. Seconds matter," the Capitol Police wrote.
The Capitol Police sent the evacuation alert around 6:30 p.m. EDT. At 6:48 p.m., the Capitol Police tweeted that there was no threat and more than an hour later said staff could return.
The last time an evacuation was ordered for a suspected air threat, the Capitol Police said, was in June 2014.
Who is responsible?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement criticizing the FAA's "apparent failure" to notify Capitol Police of the preplanned flyover for Nationals Park, saying it was "outrageous" and "inexcusable".
"The unnecessary panic caused by this apparent negligence was particularly harmful for Members, staff and institutional workers still grappling with the trauma of the attack on their workplace on January 6th," Pelosi said, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Pelosi said Congress would examine the results of an "after-action review" to determine what went wrong and who at the FAA would be held accountable.
Washington residents have also shared their experiences on social media.
Eireann Dolan, wife of Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle, was among the witnesses. “Possibly the scariest moment of my life. I was walking the dogs past the Dirksen Senate Office Building," Dolan tweeted. ”People started streaming out all at once. They told me to turn around and get away as fast as possible. Some people were calm but many were genuinely panicked. I know I was."
"As Veep-like tonight’s events were, it’s also not funny and very serious," Capitol Hill resident John Connolly wrote on Twitter. "It’s a neighborhood with people who are just trying to live our lives. Whatever happened tonight needs to be addressed so it doesn’t happen again."
What's next: FAA, Army review
The FAA said it would review the communication breakdown.
"The FAA takes its role in protecting the national airspace seriously and will conduct a thorough and expeditious review of the events yesterday and share updates," the FAA said in a statement. "We know our actions affect others, especially in our nation's capital region, and we must communicate early and often with our law enforcement partners."
Kelli LeGaspi, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, which was behind the Golden Knights’ pregame demonstration, said in a statement, “We are reviewing all aspects of the event to ensure all procedures were followed appropriately to coordinate both the flight and the parachute demonstration.”
The Washington Nationals declined comment to Paste BN and Major League Baseball did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Contributing: The Associated Press