The White House said President Donald Trump was never in danger after the presidential helicopter briefly lost required separation from a departing commercial jet Tuesday afternoon.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Federal aviation officials are investigating why commercial flights were not paused before Marine One departed the White House on Tuesday, resulting in a brief loss of required separation between President Donald Trump’s helicopter and a regional passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The White House and Federal Aviation Administration both emphasized that Trump was not endangered during the incident.
“Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the president in harm’s way,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Hill.
The encounter occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. EDT as Trump traveled aboard Marine One from the White House to Joint Base Andrews. He was scheduled to board Air Force One there for a trip to California.
Marine One reportedly came within approximately one mile of an Envoy Air regional jet that had departed Reagan National for Pensacola, Florida.
The FAA characterized the event as a “momentary loss of separation” rather than a dangerous near-collision.
“The air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation. As the White House has said, the president was never in danger,” an FAA spokesperson said.
Federal aviation standards generally require at least 1.5 miles of horizontal separation and 500 feet of vertical separation between aircraft in the affected airspace.
Investigators are reviewing whether those minimum distances were maintained and why airport operations continued before the presidential helicopter began its flight. Both aircraft completed their trips safely.
Air traffic control recordings indicate that Marine One’s crew saw the departing passenger jet and briefly delayed takeoff before proceeding to Joint Base Andrews.
The FAA is also examining communications between the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers to determine how the temporary loss of separation occurred.
“We are continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings,” the FAA spokesperson said.
The National Transportation Safety Board has opened a separate investigation into the encounter.
The review comes amid heightened scrutiny of flight operations around Reagan National following the January 2025 midair collision involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet.
Original article
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