Air traffic controllers and the pilots of President Donald Trump’s helicopter discussed communication issues one week before an incident on August 4 where a jet nearly collided with Marine One, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The report indicates that controllers did not receive the standard three-minute warning call ahead of Marine One’s departure, and an alternative plan to relay the call was also unsuccessful on the day of the event.
The close proximity of the jet and the helicopter, which occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, appeared to violate safety procedures implemented after a fatal mid-air collision near the airport the previous year. However, officials emphasized that the president was never in danger. A long-standing agreement between the Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires a three-minute warning before the president's helicopter takes off.
Recordings from the control tower showed that controllers did not hear the calls from Marine One’s pilot indicating preparation for takeoff. Conversely, separate recordings posted by ATC.com suggest the helicopter did make these calls. The helicopter pilots attempted to relay the three-minute warning through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, but this communication also failed.
The FAA had instituted a policy following a January 29, 2025, collision between an airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which halts all takeoffs and landings when a helicopter is on a conflicting route. The airspace around the White House and Reagan National Airport is notably congested with both military and commercial air traffic.
Officials acknowledged that the helicopter and airliner briefly came too close before maneuvering away from each other. The Envoy Air flight crew reported receiving a traffic warning from their collision avoidance system shortly after takeoff but did not visually identify the helicopter. Preliminary estimates from the NTSB place the aircraft approximately 0.8 miles apart laterally and 700 feet apart vertically at their closest point.
Official FAA recordings from the Reagan tower did not contain the warnings about Marine One’s impending departure for Andrews Air Force Base with the president aboard. A recording from ATC.com, however, captured the Marine One pilot stating they were "three minutes to life," as per the 2013 agreement. The controller appeared surprised by the helicopter’s subsequent takeoff, questioning, "Uh, Marine One, you said, uh, you’re proceeding as briefed?" before acknowledging, "OK, no three minutes, roger, proceed as briefed."
After the controller alerted the helicopter to the departing plane, the Marine One pilot observed the traffic and stated, "We’ll be doing a momentary delay."
Subsequent to the August 4 incident, FAA technicians identified inadequate line-of-sight between the airport's radio receiver and the helicopter's takeoff location at the White House. The radios were relocated from their previous position to the top of the Reagan control tower, and subsequent tests confirmed they were functioning correctly. This followed revelations from a congressional hearing that poor communication between air traffic controllers and the military, including a non-operational hotline to the Reagan tower for over three years, had been a long-standing issue.