The Marine One helicopter, carrying U.S. President Donald Trump, found itself in a potentially dangerous situation when it came close to a passenger plane in the skies over Washington. Preliminary findings indicate that the incident was caused by communication problems between the crew and air traffic controllers. This was reported by Glavkom, citing The New York Times.
Details of the incident
The incident occurred on August 4 after 2:30 p.m., as Trump was traveling from the White House to Andrews Air Force Base, from where he planned to fly to Los Angeles. According to reports, the Marine One crew attempted three times to notify air traffic controllers that they were ready for takeoff, but these messages were likely not heard. This resulted in the helicopter entering the flight path of an Envoy Air passenger plane.
Investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that at the point of closest approach, the distance between the aircraft was approximately 0.8 miles horizontally and 700 feet vertically. This is less than the safety parameters specified by aviation regulations. The FAA is currently investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Earlier in Washington, a man was detained for pointing a laser pointer at the presidential helicopter carrying Donald Trump. U.S. law enforcement officials say this could have temporarily blinded the pilot and posed a risk of a plane crash. A knife was also found on the suspect.
