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Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

DCA · KDCA · Washington, DC · 15 ft elevation · var 11W · Towered

Airport information

ICAO / IATA
KDCA / DCA
Coordinates
38.8521, -77.0377
Elevation
15 ft MSL
Magnetic variation
11W
Sectional chart
WASHINGTON
Airport use
Public
Control tower
Yes
ARTCC
WASHINGTON (ZDC)
Flight service (FSS)
LEESBURG
NOTAM facility
DCA
Attendance
ALL ALL
Beacon
white-green (SS-SR)
Segmented circle
No
Wind indicator
lighted
Activated
1941/03
Distance from city
3 S

Weather

METAR observed

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TAF forecast

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Sun & FAA night 2026-06-21

EventLocal (EDT)UTC
Morning civil twilight
Loggable night ends
05:11 AM09:11Z
Sunrise05:43 AM09:43Z
Sunset08:37 PM00:37Z
Evening civil twilight
Loggable night begins
09:09 PM01:09Z
Loggable night (§1.1)
09:09 PM → 05:11 AM
Night currency (§61.57)
09:37 PM → 04:43 AM

Plan a flight from KDCA

Night operations

Rotating beacon
white-green · SS-SR
Pilot-controlled lighting
Usually keyed on CTAF 122.95 — confirm the click sequence in the Chart Supplement ↗

Runway lighting aids — 01: 4-light PAPI (right) + ALSF2 · 19: 4-light PAPI (left) + MALSF · 04: 4-light PAPI (left) · 22: 4-light PAPI (left) · 15: 4-light PAPI (left) · 33: 4-light PAPI (left).

FAA night windows (civil twilight, loggable night §1.1, currency §61.57) are in the live weather panel above.

Traffic pattern

01TPANSEW
LEFT traffic
Landing
Rwy 01 · 007°
Pattern
left (turns left)
TPA
1,000 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL)
CTAF
122.95

Enter the left downwind for Rwy 01 at 1,000 ft MSL (≈1,000 AGL) on a 45°. TPA estimated at 1,000 ft AGL (not charted for this field).

Runway 01/19

7,169 ft × 150 ft · Asphalt (Good)

Edge lights: High. Weight bearing: Single wheel 110k, Double wheel 200k, Dual tandem 360k.

01
Heading
007° mag · 356° true
Markings
precision
VGSI
4-light PAPI (right) (3°)
Approach lights
ALSF2
Instrument landing
ILS/DME · CAT II · LOC 109.9 (DCA) · GS 3.00°
Traffic pattern
Left
Approach obstacle
Tower, 180 ft, 7,700 ft from threshold, 1600 ft L of centerline — 41:1 slope to clear
19
Heading
186° mag · 175° true
Markings
precision
VGSI
4-light PAPI (left) (3°)
Approach lights
MALSF
Traffic pattern
Right
Approach obstacle
Tree, 27 ft, 990 ft from threshold, 240 ft L of centerline — 29:1 slope to clear

Runway 04/22

5,000 ft × 150 ft · Asphalt (Good)

Edge lights: Med. Weight bearing: Single wheel 110k, Double wheel 200k, Dual tandem 360k.

04
Heading
037° mag · 26° true
Markings
nonprecision
VGSI
4-light PAPI (left) (3.25°)
Traffic pattern
Left
Approach obstacle
Road, 10 ft, 400 ft from threshold, 500 ft L of centerline — 20:1 slope to clear
Displaced threshold
200 ft
22
Heading
217° mag · 206° true
Markings
nonprecision
VGSI
4-light PAPI (left) (3°)
Traffic pattern
Right
Approach obstacle
Gnd, 2 ft, 220 ft from threshold, 0 ft B of centerline — 10:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface

Runway 15/33

5,204 ft × 150 ft · Asphalt (Excellent)

Edge lights: Med. Weight bearing: Single wheel 110k, Double wheel 200k, Dual tandem 360k.

15
Heading
154° mag · 143° true
Markings
nonprecision
VGSI
4-light PAPI (left) (3°)
Traffic pattern
Right
Approach obstacle
Trees, 49 ft, 380 ft from threshold, 510 ft R of centerline — 3:1 slope to clear · penetrates the 20:1 visual approach surface
33
Heading
334° mag · 323° true
Markings
nonprecision
VGSI
4-light PAPI (left) (3°)
Traffic pattern
Left
Approach obstacle
Trees, 253 ft, 9,600 ft from threshold, 0 ft B of centerline — 37:1 slope to clear
ft · ≥1.5× comfortable, under 1.25× tight · saved across airports

Communication frequencies

ServiceFrequencyNotes
APP119.85
APP124.2
CLRD128.25
DEP118.95
DEP125.65
GND121.7Washington Ground
GND257.6
TWR119.1Washington Tower
TWR134.35
TWR257.6Washington Tower ;Helicopters
UNIC122.95UNICOM
WXAS132.65WX ASOS: (703-418-1177)

Nearby navigation aids

NavAidTypeFreqRadial / Dist magnetic
DCA · WashingtonVOR-DME111.00r197° / 0.4 NM
ADW · AndrewsVORTAC113.10r299° / 8.5 NM
OTT · NottinghamVORTAC113.70r313° / 16.3 NM
AML · ArmelVORTAC113.50r112° / 20.7 NM
BAL · BaltimoreVORTAC115.10r234° / 26 NM
BRV · BrookeVORTAC114.50r034° / 34.3 NM
FDK · FrederickVOR109.00r163° / 37.1 NM

Airport diagram

Open PDF ↗
Preview diagram Open the airport diagram PDF

Procedures at a glance

⚠ Hot spots published at this airport — review the hot-spot chart before you taxi ↗
Lowest mins: ILS · vertical guidance Takeoff mins / ODP ↗ Non-std alternate mins ↗

Approaches11

Departures

Arrivals

Minimums & Hot Spots

Chart Supplement FAA A/FD

Open PDF ↗
Preview Chart Supplement Open the Chart Supplement PDF

Airport notices: page 1 ↗

VFR sectional

Open KDCA on the VFR sectional (SkyVector) ↗

Services

Fuel available
Jet A
Bottled oxygen
NONE
Bulk oxygen
NONE
Airframe service
MINOR
Powerplant service
MINOR
Parking
tiedowns, hangars
Other services
Cargo

Ownership & management

Owner
METRO WASH ARPT AUTHORITY
1 AVIATION CIRCLE, WASHINGTON, DC
703-417-8600
Manager
TERRY LIERCKE
1 AVIATION CIRCLE, WASHINGTON, DC
703-417-8050

Remarks FAA

  • RWY 06 +53 FT TREES 175 FT R @ THR.
  • LGT FM VEHICLE PARKING LOT LCTD 1000 FT SW OF RWY 01 COULD GIVE FALSE INDICATIONS OF BEING PART OF RWY 01 APCH LGT SYS DRG PERIODS OF REDUCED VIS & LOW CEILINGS.
  • FORM 150R CREDIT CARD FOR ALL RQRD SVCS. NO MIL FACS.
  • TWY K ENDS AT GATE 5.
  • FLOCKS OF BIRDS ON & INVOF ARPT; FQT GULL & GEESE & DUCK POPULATIONS AB OVER ADJ RIVER AREAS.
  • TRNG FLIGHTS THAT INCLUDE MULTIPLE APCHS AND/OR TOUCH & GO OPNS REQUIRE PRIOR PERMISSION FM THE ARPT MGR.
  • LEFT-HAND TURN-OFFS FROM RWY 33 TO TWY 'K' PROHIBITED.
  • ACFT ARRIVING/DEPARTING THE GA PARKING AREA ARE PROHIBITED FM TAXING BTN ACR PUSHBACK OPNS & THE GATES.
  • BE ADVISED SOME AIRCREWS MISTAKE RWY 15 FOR RWY 19.
  • RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL ARPRT (KDCA) IS AN EMERGENCY USE ONLY FIELD FOR ALL DOD OWNED AND OPERATED ACFT.
  • TWY N BTN APCH END RWY 15 AND TWY K CLSD TO ACFT WINGSPAN MORE THAN 124FT.
  • ENGINEERED MATERIALS ARRESTING SYSTEM (EMAS) 336 FT IN LENGTH BY 170 FT IN WIDTH LCTD AT THE DER 04.
  • ENGINEERED MATERIALS ARRESTING SYSTEM (EMAS) 142 FT IN LENGTH BY 170 FT IN WIDTH LCTD AT THE DER 15.
  • ENGINEERED MATERIALS ARRESTING SYSTEM (EMAS) 332 FT IN LENGTH BY 170 FT IN WIDTH LCTD AT THE DER 33.
  • PCR VALUE: 580/F/B/W/T
  • PCR VALUE: 420/F/B/W/T
  • PCR VALUE: 540/F/B/W/T
  • THIS RWY EXISTS TO SUPPORT THE DCA LDA ASSOCIATED WITH THE ILS.
  • RWY 15 +8 FT BLAST FENCE 120 FT FM AER 250 FT RIGHT.
  • +10 FT BLDG (L/M) +120 FT FROM AER 300 FT LEFT.
  • RWY 19 PAPI-4L CONSISTS OF TWO PAPI-4L SYSTEMS. RWY 19 PAPI-4L IS ROTATED 21 DEGS TO RIGHT OF CNTRLN. THE ROTATED PAPI-4L SYSTEM SUPPORTS VISUAL AND INSTR APCHS TO RWY 19. ADZY, ACFT ON TWY CREATE TMPRY OBSTN TO PAPI-4L.
  • THREE OBSTRUCTION LGTS POLES--ONE 600 FEET LEFT, ONE ON CENTERLINE, ONE 600 FEET RIGHT.

Nearby airports

VKX · Potomac Airfield (7 NM)KADW · Joint Base AndrewsPrivate (8 NM)KCGS · College Park Airport (9 NM)KDAA · Davison Army Air FieldPrivate (11 NM)W00 · Freeway Airport (14 NM)2W5 · Maryland Airport (15 NM)

Weather is live from the Aviation Weather Center; airport facility data is from the FAA NASR (28-day cycle). For planning and education only; always verify against official sources. Open KDCA in a full tool: METAR/TAF decoder, crosswind calculator, sun & night times, or the density altitude calculator. Planning from here? Find the nearest airport with fuel or an approach, or check whether an IFR alternate is required.

About KDCA

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA · KDCA) is an airport in Washington, DC, at 15 ft MSL. It has 3 runways, the longest 7,169 ft, with a control tower. This page shows live METAR/TAF weather, runway crosswinds, frequencies, navaids, and FAA charts for KDCA, refreshed from the Aviation Weather Center and FAA NASR.

Does KDCA have a control tower?

Yes. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has an operating FAA control tower. Check the Comms & NavAids tab for tower and ground frequencies.

What is the longest runway at KDCA?

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has 3 runways; the longest is 7,169 ft. See the Runways tab for headings, surface, and lighting.

Where is KDCA?

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is in Washington, DC, at an elevation of 15 ft MSL. Coordinates: 38.8521, -77.0377.

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