Air traffic controllers warned of communication issues one week before an air traffic safety incident involving Marine One while Trump was onboard earlier this month.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was investigating an air traffic safety incident involving Marine One while President Trump was on board.
The incident happened on August 4th while President Trump was traveling to Joint Base Andrews for a trip to Southern California.
“The president’s Marine One helicopter took off from the White House Tuesday afternoon, but air-traffic controllers hadn’t halted commercial flights at nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as required under safety protocols, people familiar with the matter said,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
According to Reuters, a commercial flight departed Reagan Airport one minute after Marine One lifted off from the Ellipse.
Video of the safety incident shows Marine One over East Potomac Park near a commercial flight.
WATCH:
NEW: STATter911 video showing a jet departing Runway 1 at DCA as the helicopter with President Trump was over East Potomac Park heading toward Joint Base Andrews. As @WSJ reports, the normal procedure of stopping commercial flights at Reagan National did not occur this afternoon… https://t.co/l3qGgDvXfa pic.twitter.com/lj4K19818w
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) August 5, 2026
The AP reported:
Air traffic controllers in Washington and the pilots of President Donald Trump’s helicopter met to discuss communication issues one week before a jet and the chopper were allowed to take off at the same time, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
Both sides met to discuss the failures in communications and agreed to an alternative for such occasions — but that method was also unsuccessful on the day of the Aug. 4 incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report shows.
Having both in the air at the same time seemed to violate safety procedures put in place after last year’s midair collision near the busy airport that killed 67 people, but officials stressed the president was never in danger. The Pentagon also has a longstanding agreement with the FAA to provide controllers with a three-minute warning before the president’s helicopter takes off that predates last year’s crash.
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