A close call between a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump and a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport earlier this month stemmed from communication problems linked to the helicopter's temporary move from the White House, federal investigators said Aug. 27.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that the crew of Marine One was unable to provide air traffic controllers with the required three-minute departure notice before taking off from the Ellipse on Aug. 4. The Ellipse has been serving as a temporary departure point while construction work continues on a White House helipad.
According to the NTSB, Marine One's crew made at least two attempts to contact controllers but
was hampered by communication issues. The crew also tried to relay the required departure notice through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, but that effort was unsuccessful.
The incident occurred as Envoy Air flight 3742, an Embraer E-170 headed to Pensacola, Florida, departed Reagan National Airport. Both aircraft continued their flights without incident, and no injuries were reported.
The near miss raised questions about why the commercial flight was cleared for takeoff while Marine One was preparing to depart, a period when airline traffic is typically halted around presidential helicopter operations.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing, the NTSB said.
Prior communication issues with Marine One
The report said concerns about communications had surfaced days before the incident. On July 30, Marine One personnel and air traffic control staff met after controllers reported not consistently receiving the required three-minute warning before helicopter departures.
The Marine One crew said communications "had been spotty," according to the report, and they agreed to use other means of communicating with the tower in situations when they are unable to reach them.
Federal Aviation Administration rules require aircraft around airports to maintain at least 1.5 miles of horizontal separation and 500 feet of vertical separation.
The NTSB said Marine One and the Envoy jet came within 0.82 nautical miles, or about 0.94 miles, laterally and 700 feet vertically. Investigators are continuing to review surveillance data to determine the precise distance between the aircraft.
Another regional flight, Republic flight 4700, was about 3 miles from Reagan National Airport during the incident and was rerouted out of caution, according to Reuters.
FAA made changes after close call incident
The communication issues surfaced after Marine One flights were moved from the White House South Lawn to the Ellipse in May as work on the helipad continued, according to Reuters.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Aug. 25 that the agency relocated an antenna and changed a procedure after the incident. The NTSB said tests conducted after the relocation found no additional communication problems.
The incident occurred in airspace that has faced increased scrutiny since the fatal midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport in January 2025. Following that crash, the FAA implemented permanent restrictions on helicopter operations around the airport.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marine One incident linked to communication issues, NTSB says
