Incident during Donald Trump's departure: President's helicopter in close proximity to passenger plane

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that it has launched an investigation into an unusual incident that occurred during the takeoff of President Donald Trump's helicopter from the White House. In violation of established procedures, a passenger plane was permitted to take off from Reagan National Airport in Washington, leading to a close approach between the two aircraft. The FAA emphasized that the President's life was not in actual danger.

The military helicopter, known as "Marine One," departed on Tuesday afternoon from the White House toward Andrews Air Force Base, where Donald Trump boarded "Air Force One" for a visit to California. During the helicopter's departure, a passenger plane took off from Reagan National Airport—the same facility where a disaster occurred in January 2025, when a passenger plane collided with a military helicopter, resulting in 67 fatalities.

Following that tragedy, joint operations of passenger planes and military helicopters in the area were prohibited, and takeoffs and landings are suspended whenever a helicopter passes through. According to the FAA, the passenger plane climbed above "Marine One," but it was stressed that the two aircraft were not on a collision course.

"A temporary loss of separation occurred, after which the aircraft continued to move away from each other," the agency stated.

The FAA further noted that an air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and the "Marine One" pilot throughout the duration of the separation loss.