Marine One helicopter crew failed to reach air traffic control before safety incident, report says

WASHINGTON: The crew of a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump that came too close to a passenger jet on Aug 4 failed to contact air traffic controllers before departing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday (Aug 27).

The incident involving a plane departing Reagan Washington National Airport raised questions about why the passenger aeroplane was allowed to depart while Marine One was nearby, a time when commercial traffic is typically halted.

The incident was tied to communication problems that have emerged since Marine One helicopter flights were moved off the White House south lawn in May to the nearby Ellipse, and have not resumed as work on a helipad continues.

The NTSB said the Marine One crew at least twice attempted to give controllers a required three-minute notice of departure but were hampered by communications issues. The NTSB said the crew also sought to contact controllers through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, which was also unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bryan Bedford, said the agency relocated an antenna and changed a procedure after the incident. The NTSB said checks made after the relocation have shown no communications issues.

On Jul 30, Marine One and air traffic control staff met and controllers sought "to discuss concern with recent reports of their not receiving the required 3-minute-to-liftoff call", the NTSB said.

The Marine One crew said communications “had been spotty,” the NTSB said and they agreed to use other means of communicating with the tower in situations where they were unable to reach them.

FAA rules require aircraft to remain separated by at least 2.4km horizontally and 152m vertically around airports. The NTSB said Marine One and the plane were at one point separated by 1.5km laterally and 213m vertically.

Envoy Air 3742, an Embraer E170 regional jet, was bound for Pensacola, Florida. Another regional flight, Republic 4700, was 4.8km from Reagan during the incident and was rerouted out of caution.

The FAA imposed permanent restrictions on helicopter operations around Washington's Reagan Airport after the January 2025 midair collision between an ⁠American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter.