US President Donald Trump's Marine One helicopter underwent an air traffic safety incident after commercial flights were not halted during its departure from the White House, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The US federal aviation officials are reviewing the matter.
The US presidential helicopter took off from the White House on Tuesday afternoon, but air traffic controllers had not suspended commercial operations nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, as required under established safety protocols, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
The incident is under review by aviation authorities to determine how the procedural lapse occurred and whether any additional safety measures are required. No injuries or immediate safety risks were reported.
"The FAA is investigating a safety incident involving Marine One but it didn’t appear to be a dangerous close call and the aircraft weren’t apparently converging," the FAA said.
Trump's helicopter lifted off from the Ellipse near the White House around 2:33 p.m. (1833 GMT), on his way to Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Los Angeles.
Envoy Air 3742 -- a regional E170 jet bound for Pensacola, Florida -- departed at 2:34 p.m. and was involved in the apparent loss of separation incident with Marine One, a source told Reuters.
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FAA norms behind Trump's helicopter air traffic safety incident
FAA laws require an aircraft to remain separated by at least 1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically around airports. The sources, as quoted by the news agency, said it appeared that Marine One and the plane did not maintain separation. One of the sources said it appears they were not converging during the incident.
Both Trump's helicopter and the jet landed without incident.
FAA is now planning to convene a Safety Review Team into the incident, a source said, adding that another regional flight - Republic 4700 - was 3 miles (5 km) from Reagan at the time of the incident and was sent around out of caution.
The US aviation authority imposed permanent restrictions on helicopter operations around Washington's Reagan National Airport after a fatal January 2025 mid-air collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people.
FAA air traffic control is usually given at least three minutes' notice before Marine One departs to halt traffic from Reagan.
