US Capitol Evacuated Due to Parachute Display at Nationals Park

The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated out of an abundance of caution Wednesday after police identified an aircraft near Nationals Park prior to tonight’s baseball game as a “possible threat,” NBC Washington reports.  

The “possible threat” turned out to be a utility plane carrying members of the US Army Golden Knights who were participating in Military Appreciation Day by parachuting into Nationals Park prior to the game. Capitol Police determined there was no such threat 13 minutes after the evacuation alert was sent, and posted the below tweet. 

NBC Washington suggested that the incident reflected a communication failure between Capitol Police and the military. 

Sources told the Associated Press that the pilot of the plane may not have properly reported its takeoff or received appropriate clearance before its arrival. Investigators are reportedly working with law enforcement officials to determine why the event wasn’t properly coordinated. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement following the incident placing blame on the the Federal Aviation Administration and said the “apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover Nationals Stadium is outrageous and inexcusable.” Pelosi also said that Congress will review what occurred, writing, “Congress looks forward to reviewing the results of a thorough after-action review that determines what precisely went wrong today and who at the Federal Aviation Administration will be held accountable for this outrageous and frightening mistake.”