Marine One's warning calls before mishap went unheard by air traffic controllers
The NTSB said tower recordings show controllers never heard Marine One's Aug. 4 calls warning it was preparing to take off, though separate recordings confirm the calls were made.
On August 4, federal investigators revealed that communication issues plagued the air traffic controllers and pilots involved in the transport of President Trump's helicopter, Marine One. One week prior to the incident, controllers reported not receiving the standard three-minute warning call before Marine One flights, leading to an alternative method of relay.
However, this plan also failed on the day of the mishap near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The NTSB's preliminary report indicated that both the jet and helicopter were aloft simultaneously, which appeared to breach safety protocols established following a 2025 midair collision that claimed 67 lives. The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration had a long-standing agreement to provide controllers with a three-minute warning, but discrepancies arose during the August 4 incident.
Air traffic controllers did not hear the calls from Marine One's pilot, while separate recordings indicated the helicopter did make the calls. The helicopter pilots attempted to relay their three-minute call through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling but failed. The FAA subsequently relocated the radio receiver for Marine One communications to the top of the tower at Reagan after discovering the helicopter's new location during construction.
The FAA acknowledged that the helicopter and airliner got too close before moving away, with the airplane quickly climbing above the helicopter after the pilots noticed the plane.
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