The Federal Aviation Administration didn't notify the U.S. Capitol Police about a parachute demonstration at a nearby baseball stadium that caused a frenzied evacuation of the Capitol complex Wednesday night.
The FAA said that it didn't give advance notice to Capitol Police of the evening's planned events.
The FAA said in a statement that we deeply regret that we contributed to a precautionary evacuation of the Capitol complex and apologize for the disruption and fear experienced by those who work there.
The apology came two days after the Capitol was briefly evacuated before the Army's Golden Knights stepped into the stadium where the Washington Nationals play for Military Appreciation Night. Nationals Park is located about a mile from the Capitol.
The USCP is tracking an aircraft that poses a threat to the Capitol Complex, as the Capitol Police initially called for an evacuation, in an email to staffers at the Capitol. The Capitol was evacuated out of an abundance of caution this evening, according to a statement by the police. There isn't a threat at the Capitol. The law enforcement agency said the lack of coordination was unusual and it was usually made aware of hundreds of authorized flights in restricted airspace every week, despite the fact that hundreds of authorized flights were allowed in the restricted airspace.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, sharply criticized the FAA on Wednesday night.
She said that the unnecessary panic caused by this apparent negligence was particularly harmful for Members, staff and institutional workers who were still grappling with the trauma of the attack on their workplace on January 6th.
The FAA said Friday it was taking immediate steps to ensure coordination with other agencies to avoid confusion in future aviation events in the Washington, D.C. area.
The agency didn't say what steps would be taken or if there would be any disciplinary action stemming from Wednesday's chaos.
NBC News reached out to the FAA for comment.