A safety incident involving President Trump’s Marine One helicopter and a commercial passenger aircraft at Washington’s Reagan National Airport on Tuesday is now under investigation by federal authorities. The military helicopter briefly came too close to an Envoy Air regional jet operated for American Airlines during the presidential aircraft’s departure, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s preliminary findings.
The FAA confirmed that a temporary loss of separation occurred between the two aircraft before they moved away from each other. Agency officials stated that Trump faced no danger and that air traffic controllers maintained contact with both pilots throughout the incident. However, sources indicate that controllers failed to halt commercial departures as required by established safety protocols.
The near-miss renews concerns about air traffic management at Reagan National following a fatal collision between a military helicopter and a commercial jet in January 2025 that killed 67 people. That disaster prompted the implementation of stricter separation procedures and new restrictions on helicopter operations near major airports. The National Transportation Safety Board has announced it will conduct its own comprehensive investigation into Tuesday’s incident.
Originally reported by Aljazeera →
About the Author
