The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing a potential violation of a new safety protocol, and the National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating; this after an incident Tuesday involving a commercial plane and the Marine One helicopter with President Donald Trump on board.
The incident occurred when a commercial plane took off from Reagan Airport at the same time the President was departing the White House on Marine One.
The White House said Trump was never in any danger.
The FAA has restricted airline and helicopter traffic near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport following a fatal midair collision that killed 67 people in January of last year, when a Wichita-to-D.C. commercial plane collided with an Army helicopter.
NEW: The FAA releases air traffic control audio from the miscommunication involving Marine One as President Trump departed the White House near Reagan National Airport.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 6, 2026
The newly released recordings capture controllers directing aircraft during the incident, when the FAA says… pic.twitter.com/zBp0ilqps5
The NTSB says it's "investigating a reported loss of separation event between Marine One and a commercial aircraft departing DCA that occurred on Aug. 4."
A loss of separation is a breach of FAA rules, stipulating that aircraft at the same height must be at least three miles apart if they're within 40 miles of an Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) antenna.
Marine One took off from the White House yesterday at 2:33pm, but air traffic at nearby Reagan National Airport didn't stop as required, leading the NTSB to consider investigating a possible loss of separation between aircraft.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 5, 2026
The FAA said controllers were in contact with both… pic.twitter.com/BxaAKvZ4ZW
President Trump was departing the White House for a planned trip to Los Angeles when the incident occurred.
