WaPo reporting "
After a search for a kidnapped child delayed several flights last week, air traffic controllers at Washington Reagan National Airport were instructed to stop letting police helicopter missions take priority over airline traffic, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2025/08/12/police-helicopter-delays-national-airport/Sunday 8/3/25, approx timeline (from 4:50pm local):
20:50Z - FALCON2 lifts South Cap initially requesting "Zone 3" (Zone 3 boundary recently updated to exclude an area of separation along the river / Rwy 1 arrival corridor)
20:54Z - When it became apparent that FALCON2 needed to operate close to the river in the area of the National Harbor, DCA issued go-arounds for flights on final for Rwy 1 in the area of the Wilson Bridge, and coordinated with Potomac to hold arrivals. Departures from Rwys 1/33 to the North were unaffected.
21:20Z - Arrivals resumed as the Police operation moved Eastwards, sufficiently away from the arrival corridor
21:41Z - FALCON2 returned to South Cap (no audio); WaPo reported the suspect was "arrested that evening"
Attached based on HELI feed from 2030Z & 2100Z covering above timeline from 20:50-21:20Z, edited for time and content, not realtime etc.
