Federal aviation officials have opened an investigation into an air traffic incident involving Marine One after commercial air traffic near Washington, D.C., reportedly was not suspended before President Donald Trump’s helicopter departed the White House on Tuesday. The White House stressed that the President was never in danger during the event.

Responding to the reports, White House spokesman Kush Desai emphasized the professionalism of the presidential flight crew, stating, “Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the president in harm’s way.”

The incident took place shortly after 2:30 p.m. EDT as President Trump boarded Marine One for the flight to Joint Base Andrews, where he was scheduled to transfer to Air Force One for a trip to California.

According to published reports, the presidential helicopter came within roughly one mile of an Envoy Air regional aircraft that had just departed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport en route to Pensacola, Florida.

The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that there was a “momentary loss of separation” between the two aircraft but emphasized that the situation was not considered a dangerous near-collision.

“The air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation. As the White House has said, the president was never in danger,” an FAA spokesperson said.

FAA guidelines generally call for aircraft to maintain a minimum of 1.5 miles of horizontal separation and 500 feet of vertical separation.

Officials are now reviewing whether those required safety margins were maintained throughout the flight. Both aircraft ultimately continued on their respective routes and landed safely without incident.

Air traffic control recordings indicate that the Marine One crew spotted the departing passenger aircraft, briefly held their departure, and then safely resumed the flight to Joint Base Andrews.

The FAA said investigators are examining why commercial departures were not temporarily halted before Marine One took off and are reviewing communications between controllers and the presidential helicopter crew.

“We are continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings,” the FAA spokesperson said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has also launched its own investigation into the occurrence.

The latest review comes as federal aviation authorities continue closely scrutinizing flight operations around Reagan National Airport following the January 2025 midair collision involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet.

{Matzav.com}