Air traffic controllers and the pilots of President Donald Trump's helicopter discussed communication issues one week before the aircraft were cleared for simultaneous takeoff, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The meeting addressed failures in communication and established an alternative procedure, but this method also proved unsuccessful during the Aug. 4 incident at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
At the time of the dual takeoff, both aircraft were in the air simultaneously, a situation that appeared to contravene safety regulations implemented after a fatal midair collision near the airport the previous year. However, officials emphasized that the president was never in any danger. A long-standing agreement between the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates a three-minute warning before the president's helicopter departs, a procedure that predates the 2025 crash.
Following an airliner's collision with an Army Black Hawk helicopter on Jan. 29, 2025, the FAA mandated that all takeoffs and landings at Reagan National Airport be halted whenever a helicopter operates on a conflicting route. The airspace around the White House and Reagan National is characterized by significant congestion from both military and commercial aircraft.
The FAA acknowledged that the helicopter and the airliner briefly approached each other too closely before maneuvering away. The airplane ascended rapidly after Marine One's pilots observed the airliner and temporarily paused their departure until the plane had safely cleared the area.
Audio recordings from the air traffic control tower suggest that the controller may not have been aware of Trump's helicopter preparing for departure to Andrews Air Force Base until the helicopter was already airborne. The Marine One pilot announced "three minutes to life," adhering to the 2013 agreement between the FAA and the military. However, the controller reported that this transmission was broken and unreadable, leading to apparent surprise when the helicopter took off minutes later.
"Uh, Marine One, you said, uh, you’re proceeding as briefed?" the controller asked, before providing directions and acknowledging, "OK, no three minutes, roger, proceed as briefed." Upon being warned about the departing airliner, the Marine One pilot stated they observed the traffic and would implement "a momentary delay."
The aftermath of the previous year's midair collision highlighted persistent communication problems between air traffic controllers and the military. Congressional hearings revealed that a dedicated hotline connecting the Pentagon to Reagan National's tower had been non-operational for over three years, a fact unknown to the FAA.