FAA says Marine One was briefly too close to passenger airplane
Donald Trump was aboard the military helicopter during the incident, but the US president was reportedly not in danger.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump was momentarily too close to a passenger jet departing Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday. The incident has raised concerns about why commercial traffic was permitted to continue during Marine One operations, a time when such flights are typically halted.
The FAA said that the aircraft involved in the close call continued to move away from each other after a brief loss of separation, ensuring the president's safety. However, the incident has reignited questions about the FAA's enforcement of safety protocols around the airport following the January 2025 crash between a military helicopter and a commercial jet, which claimed 67 lives.
This crash prompted the FAA to impose permanent restrictions on helicopter operations around Reagan Airport, including the requirement for a three-minute notice before Marine One departs to halt traffic. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, and both the helicopter and the passenger jet involved landed safely.
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