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Near-Miss Over Washington
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board opened investigations after a commercial jet came too close to Marine One, the helicopter carrying President Donald Trump, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday.
“Based on our preliminary safety review, there was momentary loss of separation after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another.”
The FAA said, "Based on our preliminary safety review, there was momentary loss of separation after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another," and it added that the air traffic controller was in contact with both aircraft during the loss of separation.
The incident occurred as the Marine One helicopter took off from the Ellipse just south of the White House on Tuesday afternoon while air traffic at Reagan National continued for a couple of minutes afterward, according to a CNN review of air-traffic control audio captured by ATC.com.
The White House said Trump was never in danger, and Kush Desai said Marine One is operated by "some of the best aviators in the world" and stressed that "at no point was the president in harm’s way."
Conflicting Details, Same Incident
The Guardian reported that air traffic controllers "are believed to have mistakenly failed to halt commercial flights" at Ronald Reagan National when Marine One took off from the White House with the president on board.
Reuters, as cited by The Guardian, said a "loss of separation" incident occurred in which the helicopter and a recently departed passenger jet bound for Florida came closer than regulations allow, while the aircraft were not believed to have been on a collision course.
The Guardian identified the passenger aircraft as an Embraer E170 jet operated by Envoy Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, as flight 3742 to Pensacola, and it said Flightaware showed it left its gate at Reagan National at 2.18pm on Tuesday.
The Guardian also reported that FAA rules implemented after the January 2025 tragedy require aircraft to remain separated by at least 1.5 miles horizontally and 500ft vertically around airports, and it said sources told Reuters it appeared Marine One and the plane did not maintain separation.
The Times of India similarly quoted the FAA saying the two aircraft were not on a collision course but acknowledged a "momentary loss of separation," while Kush Desai told the Wall Street Journal that "at no point was the President in harm’s way."
Safety Review and Fallout
The NTSB confirmed on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into the reported close encounter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, examining a reported "loss of separation" between the presidential helicopter and a commercial aircraft departing the airport.
“the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation”
The FAA said it was continuing to review the incident and would implement any appropriate corrective actions based on its findings, and it also announced it was investigating a safety incident involving Marine One.
The Guardian reported that the episode followed a tightening of proximity rules after a January 2025 collision between a commercial airliner and an army Black Hawk helicopter over the nation’s capital that killed 67 people.
The Guardian said the aircraft involved in Tuesday’s incident continued their journeys without incident, with the Embraer landing in Pensacola at 3.33pm CT after a flight of 2 hours and 16 minutes, and it reported that a third aircraft, Republic 4700, was 3 miles from Reagan national and was ordered to fly around before landing at 2.52pm.
The FAA’s review is expected to determine how the aircraft came into close proximity and whether additional safety measures are needed, with the NTSB still gathering information about Tuesday’s incident and not yet deciding whether to open its own investigation, according to The Times of India.
