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FAA Investigating Incident Involving Marine One

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident involving Marine One and a commercial flight. The incident happened Tuesday when the two aircraft briefly came too close as President Donald Trump was…

Sandra RhodesAug 6, 20262 min read

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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident involving Marine One and a commercial flight.

The incident happened Tuesday when the two Aircraft briefly came too close as President Donald Trump was aboard Marine One.

The Marine One helicopter was taking off from the White House Tuesday afternoon but air traffic controllers did not stop all commercial flights at the local Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport which should happen with safety protocols, The Wall Street Journalfirst reported.

The result was a “momentary loss of separation” between a commercial flight and Marine One, the FAA said in a statement. Under federal regulations, Aircraft

must remain at least 1 1/2 miles apart horizontally and 500 feet vertically.

The two Aircraft never came close to a collision. Still, the FAA said it is “continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings.”

The administration added following the brief loss of separation, “Aircraft continued to move away from one another” and said the president was “never in danger.”

“Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement. “At no point was the president in harm’s way.”

The FAA previously tightened restrictions on helicopters operating near DCA after 67 people died in a January 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter.

Part of this included “permanently restricting non-essential helicopter operations around DCA and eliminating helicopter and fixed-wing mixed traffic,” according to the FAA.