Trump faces mid-air scare as chopper carrying him flies too close to passenger jet
US President reported mid-air safety scare after the military helicopter carrying him, allegedly flew within less than a mile of a commercial passenger jet
New-Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Thursday reported mid-air safety scare after Marine One, the military helicopter carrying him, allegedly flew within less than a mile of a commercial passenger jet over Washington.
The helicopter had departed the White House for Andrews Air Force Base around the same time an American Airlines regional flight took off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The White House, however, insisted the president was never in danger.
The miscommunication between the chopper and the ATC delayed the controllers from clearing the air traffic, which resulted in Marine One coming within a proximity of 0.8 miles (1.2 kilometres).
Later, The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed it has launched an investigation into the reported “loss of separation” between Marine One and the commercial aircraft departing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The agency said it is “investigating a reported loss of separation event between Marine One and a commercial aircraft departing DCA (Washington National Airport) that occurred on August 4.”
US aviation regulator the FAA said that “the air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation.”
“The President was never in danger. We are continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings,” it added.
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