NTSB Reveals: Reagan Air Traffic Controllers Missed Marine One’s Warning Calls Before Incident

POLICY WIRE — Washington, USA — Air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport did not receive the standard three-minute warning calls from Marine One before a recent incident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This communication breakdown occurred despite an agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the military to provide such warnings.

The NTSB’s preliminary report indicates that both air traffic controllers and Marine One pilots had discussed alternative communication methods a week prior to the August 4 incident. However, these alternative methods also failed on the day of the event.

On August 4, a jet was allowed to take off just as Marine One departed from the White House, seemingly violating safety procedures established after a fatal midair collision near the airport last year. Officials confirmed that the president was never in danger during the incident.

Recordings from the control tower revealed that controllers did not hear Marine One’s pilot warning of the helicopter’s imminent takeoff. However, separate recordings confirmed that the helicopter did indeed make the calls. The pilots attempted to relay the warning through Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, but this effort was also unsuccessful.

Following a collision between an airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter in January 2025, the FAA implemented a rule requiring all takeoffs and landings at the airport to halt whenever a helicopter passes by on a conflicting route. The airspace around the White House and Reagan Airport is heavily congested with both military and commercial aircraft.

The FAA acknowledged that the helicopter and airliner came dangerously close before moving away from each other. The airplane climbed above the helicopter after Marine One’s pilots spotted it and paused until it was safely out of the area.

Since mid-July, President Trump’s helicopter has been taking off from the Ellipse, south of the White House, due to construction of a new helipad behind the White House. The NTSB report revealed that the construction caused Marine One to shift to a new location, leading to communication issues with the tower.

In response to the incident, the FAA relocated a radio receiver from a neighborhood near the airport to the top of the tower at Reagan to improve communication. The FAA stated that it took immediate action, including relocating an antenna and reviewing procedures, to ensure better communication between controllers and Marine One pilots.

Preliminary estimates from the NTSB show that the helicopter and plane were approximately 0.8 miles apart laterally and about 700 feet apart vertically at their closest point. The crew of the Envoy Air flight reported receiving a traffic warning from their collision avoidance system but did not see the helicopter.

Official FAA recordings from the Reagan tower did not include the warnings from Marine One. However, a recording posted by ATC.com showed the Marine One pilot informing the tower of the helicopter’s status, as per the 2013 agreement. The controller appeared surprised when the helicopter took off without the expected three-minute warning.

After the controller warned the helicopter about the plane taking off, the Marine One pilot reported seeing the traffic and decided to delay momentarily. This incident highlighted ongoing communication issues between air traffic controllers and the military, a problem that became evident after last year’s midair collision.

The NTSB reported that FAA technicians found inadequate line of sight between the radio receiver at the airport and the White House helipad. As a result, the radios were moved to the top of the tower at Reagan, where subsequent tests showed improved communication.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)