Marine One's crew made repeated but unsuccessful attempts to notify Reagan National Airport that President Donald Trump’s helicopter was preparing to depart on August 4 before it flew near a commercial passenger jet, according to a preliminary federal report. The National Transportation Safety Board’s report indicated the crew’s initial call to the airport’s helicopter-control frequency was not received, and a subsequent transmission was described as “broken and completely unreadable.”
After failing to reach the tower directly, the Marine One crew attempted to relay the required three-minute notification through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, but this effort was also unsuccessful. These missed warnings meant Reagan National controllers did not receive the notice that would have required them to halt departures before the presidential helicopter lifted off.
Instead, Envoy Air Flight 3742, an Embraer E-170 en route to Pensacola, Florida, was cleared for takeoff. The passenger jet was beginning its initial climb as Marine One departed the Ellipse, approximately 2 miles north of the airport. The NTSB estimated the aircraft came within about 0.82 nautical miles laterally and roughly 700 feet vertically of each other. No injuries were reported, and neither aircraft sustained damage.
The Envoy flight crew reported that their aircraft’s traffic-collision system announced “Traffic, Traffic” as they climbed. While the pilots did not visually spot Marine One, the helicopter appeared on their cockpit display to the right and below their aircraft. The system did not issue a more urgent resolution advisory.
Marine One was eventually able to establish reliable communications with the tower after ascending. Controllers then issued a traffic advisory, and the helicopter crew reported having the Envoy jet in sight. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that FAA officials are working with the Marine One team to resolve telecommunications issues following the incident.
Concerns regarding communications had been raised shortly before the near-miss. On July 30, Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) met with Reagan National tower staff to discuss operations, and HMX-1 noted that communications had been “spotty.” Controllers also had previously expressed concerns about HMX-1 crews not always providing the required three-minute warning. The two sides had agreed that helicopter crews would use backup methods to reach the tower if direct radio communication failed.
FAA technicians later determined that inadequate line-of-sight coverage existed between the radio transmitter-receiver site and the Ellipse, where Marine One was operating due to White House construction. The FAA subsequently relocated the radios for the airport’s helicopter-control frequency to the top of Reagan National’s control tower. Following the move, the FAA conducted radio checks with two HMX-1 aircraft and reported no deficiencies.
The FAA and NTSB are continuing their investigation into the incident, which they previously characterized as a “momentary loss of separation.” The White House maintained that President Trump was never in danger during the flight.