First Turkey ‘secret’ switch, now ‘accidental’ slide deployment: What happened at Trump's Qatari Air Force One
US President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted Air Force One was delayed on the tarmac on Wednesday after an emergency inflatable slide ‘accidentally’ deployed, raising fresh questions over the safety of the jet. Here's what happened exactly.
US President Donald Trump's trip to Texas for the Republican midterm convention faced an unexpected delay on Wednesday due to an emergency inflatable slide on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One. The slide accidentally deployed, causing President Trump to remain on board for around 20 minutes while workers on the ground removed it. Initially, Trump suggested that the slide deployment was intentional, as he waited in his helicopter.
He later stated that inspectors were checking one of the aircraft's slides for safety. However, a person briefed on the situation later revealed that the slide had been accidentally triggered. The incident raised questions about the safety of the aircraft, as Air Force One has previously been the subject of security concerns, including a secret switch to a different plane in Turkey due to a reported missile threat.
The Qatari plane, which Trump repainted in red, white, and blue, is being used until the delivery of two new aircraft.
Written by urgent.news from Live Mint's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
