White House renovation linked to near‑miss of Marine One and commercial jet, NTSB says

Safety officials have linked a recent near‑miss between a presidential helicopter and a commercial airliner to the temporary relocation of a helipad during Donald Trump’s extensive White House renovation.

A preliminary NTSB report released on Thursday identified communication failures as the cause of Marine One’s crew not providing the mandatory three‑minute pre‑departure notice to air traffic controllers before takeoff from the White House.

As a result, Reagan National Airport departures were not paused as usual, creating a loss of separation between Marine One and an Embraer E170 operated by an American Airlines subsidiary that was departing for Florida.

In May, Marine One flights were shifted from the South Lawn to the Ellipse due to ongoing construction, which includes a new ballroom replacing the East Wing and a new helipad. According to the NTSB, during the August 4 incident the crew attempted at least twice to notify controllers but were unsuccessful.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford reported that the agency moved an antenna and updated procedures after the incident, and subsequent NTSB inspections found no lingering communication problems.

The Associated Press later reported that controllers briefly lost contact with Marine One on Thursday while President Trump was en route to a Texas event, though communication was quickly restored and no safety hazard occurred.

NTSB records show that on July 30, air traffic controllers convened with Marine One personnel to address concerns that the required three‑minute pre‑liftoff notification was not being received.

The crew reported that communications “had been spotty” and agreed to employ alternative contact methods when direct radio contact with the tower could not be established.

On August 4, however, the backup communication system also failed when Marine One could not reach controllers via the Joint Base Anacostia‑Bolling facility, leading to takeoff while Reagan National departures were still in progress.

Marine One departed at 2:33 p.m., followed one minute later by the commercial jet. The Embraer was subsequently rerouted “out of caution,” the NTSB noted. An FAA statement at the time said the encounter did not appear dangerous and the aircraft were not converging.

FAA regulations mandate a minimum horizontal separation of 1.5 miles and vertical separation of 500 feet around airports. The NTSB determined that at one point Marine One and the jet were separated by 0.82 nautical miles (approximately 0.94 miles or 1.5 km) laterally and 700 feet vertically.

The incident occurred after new proximity rules were implemented following a fatal January 2025 collision between a commercial airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the capital, which claimed 67 lives.

In addition, a helipad under construction on the South Lawn to house a larger Marine One helicopter is being revised after President Trump expressed concerns about its appearance and a perceived slope, according to recent reports.

Reuters contributed to this report

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