Nicolai Haugsted
Investigation launched after Trump’s helicopter and passenger jet came too close for comfort.
Questions have emerged over air traffic procedures in Washington after President Donald Trump’s Marine One helicopter reportedly came within less than a mile of a commercial passenger aircraft following a breakdown in radio communications.
According to The Daily Beast, the incident occurred Tuesday afternoon as Trump departed the White House for Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One was waiting to fly him to Los Angeles.
Communications reportedly broke down before takeoff
According to reports, Marine One’s crew attempted three times to notify air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that the presidential helicopter was three minutes from departure.
Those transmissions reportedly went unanswered.
At one stage, the airport tower acknowledged the call but replied that it “was broken and unreadable,” asking the crew to repeat the message, according to CBS News.
Despite the communications issue, Marine One lifted off as scheduled.
Aircraft came within required separation limits
Preliminary assessments cited by multiple U.S. media outlets indicate that the helicopter came within approximately 0.8 miles laterally and 700 feet vertically of Envoy Air Flight 3742, an Embraer E170 regional jet bound for Pensacola, Florida.
The aircraft, operated by American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air, typically carries around 65 passengers.
After the helicopter became airborne, controllers reportedly warned, “Marine One, you’ve got traffic rotating off runway one,” prompting the presidential flight crew to delay its departure.
FAA and safety board launch investigations
Current procedures require Reagan National Airport to halt commercial departures whenever Marine One or emergency helicopters cross the Potomac River, a safety measure introduced after the fatal midair collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet in January 2025.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged the incident in a statement.
“Based on our preliminary safety review, there was momentary loss of separation after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another,” the agency said.
The FAA added that both pilots remained in contact with air traffic control throughout the event and emphasized that “the President was never in danger.”
Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations to determine how the communications failure occurred and whether established safety procedures were followed.
