Federal officials are reviewing an air traffic safety incident that occurred this week involving the Marine One presidential helicopter while President Donald Trump was aboard. The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon as Marine One was departing from the Ellipse near the White House en route to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Standard safety protocols require air traffic controllers to pause all other air traffic for three minutes before Marine One takes off. However, in this instance, commercial air traffic at nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was not halted as required.
An air traffic communication recording indicated that Marine One provided the required three-minute notice for takeoff. However, a controller reportedly did not hear the transmission because another conversation was occurring on the same frequency.
The FAA stated that preliminary information suggests the incident resulted in a "momentary loss of separation" between Marine One and a regional carrier flight operated by American Airlines that was taking off from DCA. The agency clarified that the commercial flight did not come dangerously close to the presidential helicopter at any point.
Marine One is piloted by highly experienced aviators, and at no time was the president in harm's way, a White House spokesperson said. The FAA is continuing its review and will implement corrective actions based on its findings.
The incident was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday night. The FAA rules mandate specific horizontal and vertical separation distances between helicopters like Marine One and commercial aircraft operating near DCA.