Air Traffic Controllers Warned Trump Helicopter Pilots About Radio Failures a Week Before Near-Miss with Jet Federal investigators revealed that air traffic controllers in Washington and the pilots of President Donald Trump’s helicopter met to address communication issues one week before a jet was allowed to take off as Marine One departed the White House. The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report highlighted that controllers did not receive the standard three-minute warning call ahead of Marine One flights, prompting an alternative plan to relay the radio call through a third party. However, this plan also failed on the day of the Aug. 4 incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The NTSB’s findings indicated that the absence of the three-minute warning call led to both the jet and helicopter being airborne simultaneously, which violated safety protocols established after last year’s midair collision near the airport that killed 67 people. Despite this, officials emphasized that the president was never in danger. The Pentagon has a longstanding agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide controllers with a three-minute warning before the president’s helicopter takes off, a protocol that predates the 2025 crash. Recordings from the air traffic control tower showed that controllers did not hear the calls from Marine One’s pilot warning of the helicopter’s imminent departure. However, separate recordings posted by ATC.com revealed that the helicopter did make those calls. The helicopter pilots attempted to relay the three-minute warning through the facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, but this effort was unsuccessful.#president_donald_trump #federal_aviation_administration #national_transportation_safety_board #air_traffic_controllers #joint_base_anacostia_bolling
