USA05 August, 20263 min read
FAA Investigates Marine One Safety Incident Near White House With Donald Trump Onboard
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FAA investigating air-traffic safety incident involving Marine One near Reagan National Airport. Incident occurred as a commercial plane reportedly came too close to Marine One.
Marine One separation incident
Federal officials are investigating an air-traffic safety incident involving Marine One, the presidential helicopter carrying President Donald Trump, as it lifted off from the Ellipse near the White House and headed to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and the FAA said preliminary information showed a “momentary loss of separation” between Marine One and an American Airlines regional carrier flight taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The FAA said rules require commercial aircraft to maintain a minimum of 1.5 miles horizontal separation and 500 feet vertical separation from any helicopter passing near DCA, and it said the American Airlines regional carrier flight did not get dangerously close to Marine One.
The White House said “At no point was the president in harm’s way,” while the FAA said it is continuing to review the incident and “will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings.”
Protocol and communications
Fox News reported the FAA is reviewing a potential violation of a new safety protocol, while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also investigating after the incident Tuesday involving a commercial plane and Marine One with Trump on board.
Fox News said standard protocols require air traffic controllers to pause all other air traffic three minutes before Marine One is set to take off, but an air traffic communication recording provided by ATC.com indicated Marine One gave a three-minute notice and a controller did not hear the transmission because someone else was talking on the frequency at the same time.
The FAA said the air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation, and it said the aircraft continued to move away from one another after the separation lapse.
In a statement posted by the NTSB on Wednesday afternoon, the agency said it is “investigating a reported loss of separation event between Marine One and a commercial aircraft departing DCA that occurred on Aug. 4.”
Aftermath and safety review
Reuters reported that the FAA is reviewing the incident and said it did not appear to be a dangerous close call, while two sources told Reuters that air-traffic controllers had not halted commercial flights at nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as required under a policy set last year following a fatal collision. Reuters said the FAA imposed permanent restrictions on helicopter operations around Reagan National Airport after a fatal January 2025 mid-air collision that killed 67 people, and it said that after the crash the FAA barred mixed helicopter and jet traffic around the airport and typically halts commercial traffic when Marine One is in flight around the airport.
Reuters also said the FAA is planning to convene a Safety Review Team into the incident, and it reported that another regional flight, Republic 4700, was 3 miles from Reagan at the time and was sent around out of caution. The Times of India reported that the FAA introduced stricter procedures at Reagan National Airport after the January 29, 2025 crash that killed 67 people, and it said the NTSB was still gathering information about Tuesday’s incident and had not yet decided whether to open its own investigation.