Global Aviation Round-Up from Aircraft Value Intelligence (AVN)
U.S. Marine pilots with Marine Helicopter Squadron One practice landing and take-off of Marine One on the south lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 18, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by: Lance Cpl. Micha R. Pierce)
Editor’s Note: To watch John’s video version of this article, click here.
A recent close encounter involving Marine One and a commercial passenger jet has put renewed attention on air traffic procedures around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where federal investigators identified dozens of safety issues after a fatal midair collision last year.
The August 4 incident occurred as the presidential helicopter was preparing to depart the White House and an Envoy Air Embraer E170 was departing Reagan National for Pensacola, Florida. The aircraft came within approximately 1.1 miles horizontally and 300 feet vertically of one another, according to information released about the incident. That was below the separation standards applicable to the operation.
Neither aircraft was on a collision course, according to the FAA, and there were no injuries. Marine One continued its flight to Joint Base Andrews. The incident nevertheless resulted in an FAA review because of the loss of required separation.
The timing has drawn attention because it occurred roughly 18 months after the January 29, 2025, collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet near Reagan National. All 67 people aboard the two aircraft were killed.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into that crash identified problems involving air traffic control procedures, helicopter operations, staffing and workload, communications and risk management in the airspace around the airport.
The board issued 52 recommendations following its investigation. As of this writing, 51 remained open, according to the NTSB’s tracking of the recommendations.
The FAA has implemented some changes since the crash. Helicopter operations around Reagan National have been restricted, and the agency has revised procedures governing interactions between helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The FAA also moved to prohibit visual separation between helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft in certain busy terminal areas.
Other recommendations remain under review or require additional action by the FAA, other federal agencies or Congress.
The Marine One incident has also raised questions about communications between the presidential helicopter and air traffic controllers.
A review of radio transmissions indicated that the Marine One crew advised controllers several times that the helicopter was preparing to depart. One notification reportedly came about three minutes before takeoff. At least one transmission was described as broken or unreadable.
The passenger aircraft subsequently departed Reagan National while Marine One was also moving through the area.
The FAA has said it is examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and potential improvements to communications infrastructure around the airport. Those measures include evaluating antenna placement and radio coverage, as well as additional communications capabilities and training.
The Challenges of Reagan National
The communications issue is significant because the airspace surrounding Reagan National presents a combination of challenges that are unusual even by major-airport standards. Commercial airline operations take place alongside presidential movements, military flights, helicopter traffic and extensive restricted airspace.
The airport also has limited room for maneuvering. Reagan’s runways and surrounding geography constrain flight paths, while the airport’s proximity to the White House and other federal facilities creates additional operational requirements.
The FAA has been under pressure to address broader air traffic control staffing and infrastructure problems nationwide. The agency has been seeking to increase controller hiring while also modernizing communications, surveillance and other systems that support the national airspace system.
The Marine One incident did not result in an accident, and the FAA has said the aircraft were not on a collision course.
But the episode is likely to receive additional scrutiny because of the number of safety changes still outstanding from the Potomac crash.
For investigators and aviation officials, the immediate focus will be determining why the helicopter’s departure warnings were not effectively incorporated into the traffic picture and whether existing procedures worked as intended.
The larger question is how quickly the remaining recommendations from the Potomac investigation can be implemented in one of the most closely monitored and operationally complex pieces of airspace in the country.
John Persinos is the editor-in-chief of Aircraft Value Intelligence.
