(AFP) – US authorities are investigating if a military helicopter carrying Donald Trump came too close to a passenger jet above Washington this week, with the White House insisting Wednesday the president was never in danger.
According to a New York Times report citing two people familiar with the matter, Marine One came within less than a mile of a passenger plane above the US capital on Tuesday after garbled communications with air traffic controllers. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is “investigating a reported loss of separation event between Marine One and a commercial aircraft departing DCA (Washington National Airport) that occurred on August 4.”
Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, told AFP “Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the president in harm’s way.” US aviation regulator the FAA said that “the air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation.”
“The President was never in danger. We are continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings,” it added. According to the Wall Street Journal, safety measures in such circumstances require a separation of at least 1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically. The outlet, stating that the incident occurred around 2:30 pm (1830 GMT), reported that an American Airlines Embraer E-170 operated by its subsidiary Envoy Air took off at that time.
The helicopter was headed to Andrews Air Force Base, where Trump boarded his presidential aircraft to travel to California. American Airlines, and the US Marine Corps which operates Marine One, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FAA has drastically tightened safety measures around Washington National Airport since the deadly collision between an incoming airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people in January 2025.
© 2024 AFP
