By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-06 01:35:58 | Updated at 2026-08-06 14:03:19
14 hours ago
A safety incident involving President Donald Trump's Marine One helicopter is being investigated after the aircraft took off alongside commercial flights in Washington DC.
Trump boarded Marine One around 2.33pm on Tuesday en route to Joint Base Andrews for a flight on Air Force One to Los Angeles.
He departed from the White House Grounds on the helicopter as commercial flights took off nearby from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday that Marine One briefly flew too close to a passenger plane.
Flight tracking data revealed that an American Airlines flight en route to Pensacola, Florida, took off from Reagan National Airport around the same time as Marine One departed the White House.
The FAA previously said that it 'didn’t appear to be a dangerous close call and the aircraft weren’t apparently converging.'
The National Transportation Safety Board has also launched a probe into whether Trump's helicopter flew too close to the commercial jet, calling the incident a 'loss of separation.'
Federal regulations require aircraft to be at least 1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically apart from one another around airports.
Marine One took off from Washington DC on Tuesday carrying Donald Trump. The NTSB and FAA are now investigating whether the helicopter flew too close to a commercial flight
President Donald Trump boarded the helicopter at Joint Base Andrews, pictured above
A commercial jet took off from Reagan National Airport around the same time Marine One departed from the White House grounds (file photo)
'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 in a statement.
'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. We are continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings.'
Sources told the Wall Street Journal that air traffic controllers failed to halt flights at the nearby airport, a departure from traditional practices.
People familiar with the protocol told the publication that controllers expect Marine One to give them at least a three-minute warning before takeoff to keep the airspace clear.
Another regional flight was three miles from Reagan National Airport during the incident and was rerouted out of caution, a source told Reuters.
The second American Airlines flight, Republic E175, departed from Raleigh-Durham International Airport around the same time and looped around the airport before landing at 2.52pm.
The FAA imposed stricter regulations on helicopter operations around Reagan National Airport after an American Airlines regional jet crashed into an Army Black Hawk helicopter in January 2025.
Marine One took off on Tuesday afternoon and was seen flying past the Washington Monument en route to Joint Base Andrews
Marine One landed safely at Joint Base Andrews, and the president boarded Air Force One for his trip to Los Angeles
The shocking mid-air collision claimed the lives of 67 people. Helicopter flights have also been limited since the crash, and the Transportation Department shut down the route Black Hawk traveled.
Captain Jacob Sugg, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps, told the Wall Street Journal that there were no 'close calls' on Tuesday, and air traffic controllers directed Marine One to Joint Base Andrews.
White House spokesman Kush Desai added: '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.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to American Airlines and the White House for additional comment.
