Federal Aviation Administration officials confirmed Wednesday that a hotline that provides direct communication between the Pentagon and the Pentagon and the Air Traffic Control Tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has not been operating since March 2022.

Public recognition was at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing when Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas asked FAA officials about the January collision between Army Blackhawk helicopters and American Airlines, and the area was approaching the airport to land on the airport. 67 people died in that crash.

Franklin J. McIntosh, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Aviation Administration.

"We don't know, but after that game we've realized it, and now we've realized the incident, we're insisting on determining the line before the Pentagon resumes any action," he said.

The FAA said in a statement to NPR that since 2022, the "dedicated, direct access line" between the airport and the Pentagon Army helicopter has been extinguished. The two facilities continue to coordinate and communicate over the telephone. ”

The Army did not respond to a request for comment.

An Army unit stopped training flights in the national capital area, including Washington, D.C., and nearby areas near Maryland and Virginia — less than two weeks after the flight resumed again after a pause in response to a January crash.

The decision comes after two commercial aircraft that had to be discontinued at DCA on May 1, as the Army helicopters on the training mission were too close to their flight path.

Florida Tech professor Margaret Wallace, who teaches air traffic control, said air traffic control facilities are common and can provide hotlines to other key offices such as weather agencies, government buildings and military facilities.

“You just press a button and dial it directly to the facility or the agent they need to coordinate with,” she said.

Wallace, who is also an air traffic controller for the U.S. Air Force, said it is useful to communicate with people who are not used in radio communications. "Maybe it was the commander of the Air Force Base. He wasn't sitting there listening to the radio, but it was his direct route. Or the direct route from the White House," she said.

At Wednesday's hearing, when Cruz asked when the hotline would work again, McIntosh said he hoped the Department of Defense "to speed up that timeline so they can start operating."