A helicopter carrying President Donald Trump came within 0.8 miles laterally and 700 feet vertically of a passenger jet over Washington, D.C., following an air traffic communications failure. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon as Trump boarded Marine One at the White House for a flight to Joint Base Andrews, where Air Force One was waiting to take him to Los Angeles.
Air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan National Airport did not halt commercial flights as required during Marine One's takeoff. Marine One’s crew attempted to warn air traffic controllers three times about their imminent departure, but the communications were reportedly not received clearly.
The helicopter took off despite the breakdown in communication, coming close to Envoy Air Flight 3742, an Embraer E170 regional jet. The air traffic control tower eventually warned Marine One about traffic after it was already airborne.
The FAA stated that there was a momentary loss of separation between the aircraft but emphasized that the President was never in danger. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.