Controllers are supposed to hold departures when the president flies. On Tuesday an American Airlines regional jet left DCA one minute after Marine One departed the Ellipse, triggering a brief loss of separation.
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is examining why controllers at Reagan National Airport did not hold departing traffic on Tuesday afternoon while President Trump's helicopter lifted off from the White House grounds, as safety procedures require.
Reagan National sits less than five miles from the executive mansion in a straight line. Standard practice is to stop airport traffic whenever the president is airborne in the vicinity, specifically to preserve the separation minimums that keep aircraft from converging. The Wall Street Journal first reported the review.
The sequence, as described in air traffic communications, began with Marine One's crew repeatedly trying to raise the Reagan National tower before departure, advising that the helicopter was three minutes from lifting. The tower eventually came back with traffic rotating off Runway One — an E-170 regional jet. The Marine One crew acknowledged and said they would hold briefly.
The helicopter departed the Ellipse at 2:33 p.m. ET carrying the president to Joint Base Andrews, where he transferred to Air Force One for a flight to Los Angeles. Tracking data shows an American Airlines flight operated by Envoy Air left Reagan National for Pensacola, Florida, at 2:34 p.m.
The FAA told The Post there was a momentary loss of separation, after which the two aircraft continued moving apart, and that the controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and the Marine One crew throughout. The agency echoed the White House in saying the president was never in danger, and said it will implement corrective actions if its review finds them warranted.
Context matters here more than the individual incident. Airspace around Reagan National has been under intense scrutiny since Jan. 29, 2025, when an American Airlines regional jet on approach collided with an Army Black Hawk, killing 67 people. The FAA imposed permanent restrictions on helicopter operations near the airport after that crash.
Current rules require aircraft to stay at least 1.5 miles apart horizontally and 500 feet apart vertically. The review will determine whether Tuesday's sequence was a communications breakdown, a procedural gap, or both.