The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed it is conducting a preliminary investigation into an incident on Tuesday (August 4) when a Marine One military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump flew too close to a passenger plane that was departing from Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.
According to an FAA statement, the initial safety review indicated a “temporary loss of separation, after which the aircraft continued on divergent paths.” The agency also emphasized that President Trump was in no danger and that air traffic controllers remained in contact with both pilots throughout the incident.
Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that air traffic controllers did not pause commercial flights at Reagan Airport, as per the policy implemented after last year's crash. In January 2025, a collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67 people.
Marine One took off from the Ellipse near the White House at 2:33 p.m. local time (6:33 p.m. GMT) to Joint Base Andrews, ahead of the president's trip to Los Angeles, according to a White House pool report.
Although both aircraft landed safely, the FAA has not yet confirmed which planes were involved. However, one source told Reuters that Envoy Air Flight 3742, a regional carrier operating for American Airlines bound for Pensacola, Florida, was the aircraft in question. Another Republic Airways Flight 4700 was later diverted for safety reasons when it was about three miles (approximately 4.8 kilometers) from the airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also announced it would open a separate investigation into the incident. The near-collision has raised concerns about air traffic procedures at Reagan Airport following last year's disaster, which led to permanent restrictions on helicopter and commercial aircraft operations there, along with a March ban on the use of visual separation methods for helicopters near major U.S. airports.
