A military helicopter carrying former President Donald Trump came within less than a mile of an Envoy Air passenger jet in the airspace near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday, following garbled radio communications between Marine One’s crew and air traffic controllers, according to officials familiar with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) preliminary review.
The incident occurred shortly after 2:30 p.m. as the presidential helicopter flew from the White House to Joint Base Andrews, the initial leg of a planned trip to Los Angeles. Prior to departure, the Marine One crew made three attempts to notify controllers in the National Airport tower that they were three minutes from takeoff. However, the radio transmissions appeared unclear and went largely unacknowledged by the tower staff.
The unclear communications resulted in delays in air traffic controllers’ clearance of nearby flights and placed Marine One in close proximity to a passenger jet operated by Envoy Air, a regional subsidiary of American Airlines. At their closest approach, Marine One was estimated to be approximately 0.8 miles laterally and 700 feet vertically from the passenger aircraft, officials said. The FAA defines a loss of safe separation in this context as breaching 1.5 miles laterally or 500 feet vertically, though these standards vary based on airspace and aircraft types.
Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, stated that Marine One is operated by highly skilled aviators and emphasized that the president was never in danger. He added that the White House continues to coordinate with military, FAA, and security personnel to maintain safety. The FAA also confirmed a "momentary loss of separation," but maintained that the president was not at risk and that a review of the incident is ongoing.
The airspace around National Airport is among the nation’s most complex and has been under heightened scrutiny since a fatal collision last year between a military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight, which killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft. That accident’s National Transportation Safety Board investigation cited degraded radio reception and controller workload issues as key contributing factors. Since then, the FAA has implemented some route modifications and closures but has not yet adopted all of the NTSB’s recommended safety improvements.
Tuesday’s communications difficulties began before Marine One’s departure from the Ellipse, a public park south of the White House, which has been used for presidential helicopter operations since the White House South Lawn helipad closed in July for construction. Audio recordings show Marine One repeatedly attempted to communicate a three-minute takeoff warning with the tower, receiving only a muffled or unclear response. After failing to establish clear contact, Marine One proceeded with takeoff.
Shortly after takeoff, the tower controller expressed surprise that the three-minute warning had not been received and cautioned Marine One about nearby traffic on National Airport’s primary runway. Marine One acknowledged visual contact with the other aircraft and later indicated a “momentary delay.” The controller then confirmed clearance for Marine One to proceed.
The incident highlights ongoing challenges in managing the dense and complex airspace surrounding Washington, where coordination between military and civilian air traffic remains critical to ensure safety. The FAA’s comprehensive review and any resulting recommendations are expected in the coming weeks.