The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating a possible breach of newly established safety protocols. This follows an incident reported on Tuesday, involving a commercial aircraft and Marine One, the helicopter transporting President Donald Trump, as verified by News Media.
The scenario unfolded when a passenger plane departed Reagan International Airport simultaneously as President Trump was leaving the White House on Marine One, highlighted by The Wall Street Journal.
The White House reassured the public that President Trump was never at risk during the event.
On August 4, 2026, President Trump made his way from Marine One to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. (Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)
“Marine One operations are conducted by some of the world’s most skilled pilots, ensuring that the President is safe at all times,” stated White House spokesperson Kush Desai to Fox News.
The FAA, in a statement to News Media, reiterated the White House’s point about the president’s safety.
“Based on our preliminary safety review, there was momentary loss of separation after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another. The air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation. As the White House has said, the President was never in danger. We are continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings,” the statement read.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks after a visit to the FAA Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma City where he toured the training center and met with instructors and air traffic controller students on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)
A loss of separation is a breach of FAA rules that stipulate that aircrafts at the same height must be at least three miles apart if they are within 40 miles of an Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) antenna.
Trump was departing the White House for a planned trip to Los Angeles when the incident occurred.
President Donald Trump waves as he walks to board Marine One en route to Joint Base Andrews from the Ellipse near the White House on Aug. 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
When contacted for comment, the U.S. Secret Service referred Fox News to the White House and FAA’s comments.
Fox News’ Patrick Ward contributed to this post.