The US Federal Aviation Administration is urgently investigating an incident related to the air safety of US President Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported.
What happened in the skies over Washington?
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon when the military helicopter Marine One with President Trump on board took off from the South Lawn of the White House. According to the report by the “Wall Street Journal“, also reported by the “Reuters“ (Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/faa-investigates-marine-one-safety-incident-washington-wsj-reports-2026-08-05/), air traffic controllers did not stop commercial flights at nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in time.
The stoppage of civilian air traffic in the immediate vicinity is a mandatory requirement under strict safety protocols for the movement of the American head of state.
Was there a real danger?
A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commented on the situation to the media in order to reduce public tension. The department explains that:
- The Marine One helicopter and the commercial airliner taking off at the same time did not come dangerously close.
- The trajectories of the two air machines were not converging.
- Under federal aviation safety regulations, the situation does not qualify as a critical "near miss"
Despite the lack of an immediate threat, the fact that Washington's airspace blocking protocols were not properly activated prompted an immediate formal investigation by aviation regulators.