Donald Trump’s Marine One helicopter involved in near miss with passenger plane over Washington DC
The US President was aboard Marine One when his helicopter came within an ‘unsafe’ distance of a passenger plane, triggering an FAA investigation.
The US President has had another brush with death after a frighteningly close encounter whilst flying in a helicopter.
Mr Trump’s helicopter came within what aviation experts consider an unsafe distance of a passenger jet over Washington DC, triggering a federal investigation into the alarming near miss.
Mr Trump was aboard Marine One when the presidential helicopter departed from near the White House about 2.30pm on Wednesday local time (4am Thursday AEST), heading to one of his properties in Las Vegas.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.But moments after take-off, the flight found itself on a collision course with a departing commercial aircraft.
Air traffic recordings reveal Marine One radioed the control tower three times over three minutes to announce it was preparing to lift off. After receiving no response, the helicopter departed without clearance.
Seconds later, an air traffic controller urgently warned the crew.
“Marine One, you got traffic rotating off Runway 1.”
That traffic was an Envoy Air flight bound for Pensacola, Florida, which had just departed Ronald Reagan National Airport carrying an unknown number of passengers.
Flight tracking data showed the two aircraft came within about 1.2 kilometres horizontally and just 200 metres vertically of each other, roughly half the minimum separation normally expected between aircraft operating in the same airspace.
The passenger plane continued safely to Pensacola without incident, while Marine One completed the President’s journey.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has now launched an investigation into what caused the loss of separation.
Despite the close call, the White House insisted Mr Trump was never in danger.
“Although the president was at no point in harm’s way during yesterday’s momentary loss of separation, the White House continues to work with relevant military, FAA and other security personnel to ensure the president’s continued safety,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai told the New York Times.
The incident comes after aviation safety around Washington DC has come under intense scrutiny following last year’s devastating mid-air collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and a passenger jet near Ronald Reagan National Airport, which killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.
Helicopter operations around the airport were tightened after that disaster, although presidential flights remain exempt from those restrictions.
Marine One departed from the Ellipse rather than the White House South Lawn because the presidential helipad is currently being rebuilt as part of an expansion project.
For an administration that places enormous emphasis on presidential security, it was an uncomfortable reminder that even the world’s most protected aircraft can find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
