International
oi-Madhuri Adnal
US authorities are investigating an incident in which Marine One, the military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump, reportedly came dangerously close to a commercial passenger aircraft over Washington, DC, earlier this week. While the incident triggered a federal investigation, the White House has insisted that the president was never in danger.
According to a report by The New York Times, citing two people familiar with the matter, Marine One came within less than a mile of a passenger jet over the US capital on Tuesday after what was described as garbled communication with air traffic controllers.
US authorities, including the NTSB and FAA, are investigating an incident where Marine One, carrying President Trump, had a near-miss with a commercial jet over Washington, DC on Tuesday, reportedly due to communication issues. Officials confirmed Trump was never in danger.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the incident took place at around 2.30 pm local time shortly after an American Airlines Embraer E-170 operated by Envoy Air had taken off. Marine One was en route to Andrews Air Force Base, where Trump boarded Air Force One for his trip to California.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the incident, while the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also reviewing what happened.
In its preliminary assessment, the FAA said there was a “momentary loss of separation” between the two aircraft before they safely moved away from each other. The agency added that air traffic controllers remained in communication with both the Marine One pilot and the commercial flight crew throughout the incident.
The near miss has also raised questions about why a commercial flight was allowed to depart while Marine One was operating nearby. According to The New York Times, commercial operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were not halted despite revised safety procedures introduced after last year’s fatal mid-air collision involving a military helicopter and a passenger jet.
Following that January 2025 crash, which killed 67 people, authorities introduced stricter measures requiring commercial departures to be paused whenever the presidential helicopter is operating in the vicinity. FAA regulations also require aircraft near airports to maintain a minimum horizontal separation of 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) and a vertical separation of 500 feet (152 metres).
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told AFP that Marine One is flown by “some of the best aviators in the world” and stressed that “at no point was the president in harm’s way.” The FAA also reiterated that Trump was never at risk and said it would continue reviewing the incident before deciding whether any corrective action is necessary.
Neither American Airlines nor the US Marine Corps which operates Marine One, had commented on the incident at the time of publication.
