FAA Says Trump's Helicopter Briefly Flew Too Close to Passenger Jet

The FAA said its preliminary safety review found a momentary loss of separation, after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another, adding that Trump was not in danger and an air traffic controller stayed in contact with both pilots. Two people familiar with the matter told that controllers did not pause commercial departures as required under a policy adopted after a January 2025 collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people. Marine One lifted off from the Ellipse near the White House at about 2:33pm local time (18:33 GMT) en route to Joint Base Andrews ahead of a presidential trip to Los Angeles, according to a White House pool report.

Both aircraft landed safely, though the FAA has not confirmed the flights involved. A source told that Envoy Air flight 3742, a regional jet operated for American Airlines bound for Pensacola, Florida, was the aircraft involved, and that Republic 4700 was separately rerouted as a precaution after coming within three miles of the airport.