Shocking Audio Reveals Pilot's Response After Near-Miss Between Jet And Passenger Plane With 137 Onboard At Reagan National

There have already been over 150 reported plane and helicopter incidents in the U.S. this year alone. That number almost increased by two more after a near miss between a military aircraft and a commercial passenger jet that could have ended in disaster.

Newly released transcripts have revealed the tense moment a Delta pilot, flying with 137 passengers on board, came dangerously close to colliding with a U.S. Air Force jet near Reagan National Airport. This is the same airport where, earlier this year, a military helicopter crashed into a plane owned by American Airlines on January 29.

That tragic event turned out to be the deadliest aviation accident in the U.S. since 2001, as all 67 people involved were killed.

That crash set off a string of serious aviation incidents that have put the entire industry under intense scrutiny.

The most recent close call involved a Delta Air Lines jet that had just taken off from Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport in Minnesota. Not long after takeoff, warning alarms sounded in the cockpit, alerting the crew that another aircraft had passed dangerously close by.

Moments after the terrifying encounter, the pilot’s words were captured in an audio recording and they paint a clear picture of just how close this was to being a catastrophe.

The audio, recorded and shared on LiveATC.net, captured the Delta pilot asking air traffic control: "Was there an actual aircraft about 500 feet below us?"

The response from the controller was short but telling: "Affirmative."

According to data from FlightRadar 24, the military jet flew past the Delta plane at over 350 miles per hour. The FAA has since confirmed that the jet had been deployed for a ceremonial flyover at Arlington National Cemetery around the time of the incident.

The commercial Delta plane was just 500ft away from colliding with a military jet Air Nav Radar

In response to the incident, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar took to Twitter and wrote: "Unbelievably dangerous and thank God people are safe."

"My first call to Department of Defense tomorrow: why are your planes flying 500 feet below passenger jets full of Minnesotans headed from DCA to my state."

On March 28, the Federal Aviation Administration also released an official statement, saying: "The Delta aircraft received an onboard alert that another aircraft was nearby. Air traffic controllers issued corrective instructions to both aircraft."

An American Airlines-owned plane collided with a military chopper in Washington DC earlier this year Al Drago/Getty Images

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has reported that there have already been 153 civil aviation incidents in the U.S. so far this year. Out of those, 23 accidents involved at least one fatality.

Just two days after the crash in Washington D.C., a medical aircraft tragically went down in Philadelphia, killing all six people who were onboard.

Then on February 6, a separate aircraft carrying 10 people disappeared over Alaska. The wreckage was later discovered, and sadly, no one had survived the crash.

Another incident happened in Arizona on February 10. A private aircraft, which is reportedly owned by musician Vince Neil, collided with another plane at Scottsdale Airport while arriving from Austin, Texas. Neil himself was not onboard at the time of the crash.

Just a week later, on February 17, a Delta Air Lines flight crashed in Toronto and flipped over. Fortunately, all 80 people on board were evacuated safely and without any fatalities.