The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating an incident in which a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump was briefly too close to a passenger jet departing from Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday. The FAA stated that the U.S. president was not in danger.
The agency confirmed that there was a "momentary loss of separation" between the aircraft, but both continued to move away from each other. The incident has raised questions about why commercial traffic was not halted as is typical when Marine One is in the vicinity. FAA rules mandate a minimum separation of 1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically around airports.
Marine One, carrying Trump, took off from the White House around 2:33 p.m. EDT. According to sources, air traffic controllers had not stopped commercial flights at Reagan National, a procedure required under a policy implemented after a January 2025 collision between a military helicopter and a commercial jet that resulted in 67 fatalities. This policy led to the FAA barring mixed helicopter and jet traffic around the airport.
The passenger jet involved was identified as Envoy Air 3742, an Embraer E170 regional jet operated by a subsidiary of American Airlines, which was bound for Pensacola, Florida. It departed at 2:34 p.m., shortly after Marine One's takeoff.
Another regional flight, Republic 4700, which had departed from Raleigh-Durham, was approximately 3 miles from Reagan National during the incident and was rerouted as a precautionary measure. This aircraft eventually landed at Reagan National at 2:52 p.m.
In response to the January 2025 midair collision, the FAA had previously imposed permanent restrictions on helicopter operations near Reagan Airport. Additionally, in March, the agency prohibited the use of visual separation for managing helicopter traffic near major airports. Typically, air traffic control is provided with at least three minutes' notice before Marine One departs, allowing time to halt commercial traffic.
The National Transportation Safety Board has announced it will also investigate the incident. Both Trump's helicopter and the Envoy Air jet landed safely without further issue. The FAA is planning to convene a safety review team to examine the circumstances surrounding the event.