U.S. Federal Aviation Administration investigates "safety incident" involving the President's helicopter

Washington, May 8 (KUNA) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Wednesday that it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding a “temporary loss” of separation between a civilian aircraft and the helicopter carrying U.S. President Donald Trump, while the White House maintained that the president was “not in any danger.” The announcement came after the U.S. Wall Street Journal published a report stating that air traffic controllers did not halt commercial flights at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport when Marine One, carrying President Trump, was scheduled to depart from the White House on Tuesday afternoon.

Kush Desai, Deputy Press Secretary to the White House Press Secretary, commented on the incident, saying, “Marine One is flown by some of the best pilots in the world, and we confirm that President Trump was never in danger at any point,” specifically referring to the incident.

In a statement, the FAA said, “Based on our initial safety review, there was a temporary loss of separation, after which the two aircraft continued to move away from each other.” It added, “The air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and the lead Marine One pilot during the loss of separation.” The agency affirmed, “As the White House stated, the president was never in danger.”

It noted that it is continuing to “review the incident” and emphasized that it “will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on the findings.”

The FAA issued guidelines in 2025 requiring the suspension of commercial air traffic while jet aircraft are in flight, following a fatal mid-air collision in January of that year between an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk military helicopter. Federal regulations require aircraft to maintain a horizontal separation of 1.5 miles and a vertical separation of 500 feet for safe travel. (End) R.S.R. / R.J.