WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating why a aircraft was allowed to take off as President Donald Trump’s helicopter was approaching Reagan Nationwide Airport Tuesday afternoon in what seems to be a violation of safety procedures put in place after last year’s midair collision close to that busy Washington D.C. airport.
The incident occurred as Marine One left the White Home for Andrews Air Power Base with the president aboard for the primary leg of a West Coast journey. A business jet took off on the similar time. The FAA determined after 67 people died on Jan. 29, 2025 when an airliner collided with an Military Black Hawk helicopter that every one takeoffs and landings at Reagan could be halted anytime a helicopter passes by the airport.
The airplane that took off Tuesday was climbing above Marine One because the helicopter approached, so the 2 plane weren’t on a collision course.
The FAA mentioned in a press release that “there was a momentary lack of separation after which the plane continued to maneuver away from each other.”
“The air site visitors controller was in touch with each the business pilot and Marine One pilot through the lack of separation,” the FAA mentioned.
The White Home emphasised that President Trump was not in peril through the incident.
“Marine One flights are piloted by a number of the finest aviators on the earth, and at no level was the President in hurt’s method,” mentioned White Home spokesman, Kush Desai.
And the Marine Corps defended the actions of their helicopter pilots.
“There have been no ‘shut calls’ with the routine Marine One motion,” Tuesday, mentioned Marine Corps spokesman, Capt. Jacob Sugg in an electronic mail. “Washington Nationwide Tower didn’t delay the helicopter crew, ask them to carry, or in any other case alter their flight profile. On the contrary, the ATC staff permitted the requested route and offered well timed and applicable site visitors info.”
The Wall Avenue Journal first reported the incident.
The airspace close to the White Home and Reagan is closely congested with navy and business plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration took steps to make sure that helicopters and airplanes would now not share the identical airspace round Reagan Nationwide Airport shortly after the investigation into final 12 months’s midair collision started. The principles additionally prohibit air site visitors controllers from counting on visible separation and require all navy plane to broadcast their areas.
The principle group of relations of the victims of final 12 months’s crash questioned why the federal government hasn’t accomplished extra to forestall collisions within the crowded airspace round Reagan in a publish on X Wednesday morning. The relations have been urging Congress to achieve a compromise and cross the package deal of aviation security reforms that the NTSB really helpful after the midair collision.
The NTSB mentioned Wednesday morning that it’s nonetheless gathering details about Tuesday’s incident involving Marine One and hasn’t but determined whether or not to analyze.
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Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.
