FAA says it is investigating Trump helicopter safety incident in Washington

Key Points:

• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a safety incident involving President Donald Trump's Marine One helicopter and a commercial jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, though it did not appear to be a dangerous close call.
• Marine One took off from the White House around 2:33 p.m., but air-traffic controllers had not halted nearby commercial flights as required by FAA policy established after a fatal 2025 mid-air collision.
• An Envoy Air regional jet, departing one minute after Marine One, was involved in the apparent loss of required separation, though the aircraft were reportedly not converging; both aircraft landed safely.
• The FAA plans to convene a Safety Review Team to examine the incident, which comes amid stricter post-accident restrictions banning mixed helicopter and jet traffic and requiring halted commercial flights during Marine One operations near Reagan Airport.
• The 2025 collision that prompted these FAA restrictions involved systemic failures in air traffic control procedures, leading to new rules prohibiting visual separation of helicopter traffic near major airports.