Marine One communication failure led to near-miss with passenger jet

On August 4, 2026, Marine One, carrying President Donald Trump, experienced a close call with Envoy Air flight 3742 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, coming within 0.82 nautical miles laterally. The incident stemmed from communication failures caused by White House construction, which forced Marine One to use a temporary landing zone at the Ellipse. This shift blocked the line of sight for radio signals, preventing controllers from hearing the required three-minute departure warning. In response, the FAA relocated a critical antenna to the airport tower to resolve the issue.

Marine One near-miss incident

• ▪Envoy Air flight 3742, an Embraer E-170 regional jet bound for Pensacola, Florida, departed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during the August 4, 2026 incident
• ▪On August 4, 2026, a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump and Envoy Air flight 3742 came within 0.82 nautical miles laterally and 700 feet vertically near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
• ▪Republic flight 4700, which was about 3 miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during the August 4, 2026 incident, was rerouted out of caution

White House construction impact

• ▪Marine One flights were temporarily moved from the White House South Lawn to the Ellipse in May 2026 while construction work continued on a White House helipad
• ▪The temporary relocation of Marine One's landing zone to the Ellipse due to White House construction was a contributing factor in the August 4, 2026 near-miss incident

Radio communication failures

• ▪Federal Aviation Administration technicians determined that the radio issues were caused by an inadequate line of sight between the airport's radio receiver and the Ellipse takeoff location
• ▪The Marine One crew unsuccessfully attempted to relay their departure notice through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling during the August 4, 2026 incident
• ▪The Marine One crew made at least two unsuccessful attempts to contact air traffic controllers with the required three-minute departure notice before taking off on August 4, 2026
• ▪On July 30, 2026, Marine One personnel and air traffic control staff met to discuss concerns that controllers were not consistently receiving the required three-minute warning calls

FAA antenna relocation

• ▪The Federal Aviation Administration moved the radio receiver from a neighborhood near the airport to the top of the tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
• ▪Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford announced on August 25, 2026, that the agency relocated a radio antenna and changed a procedure following the incident
• ▪Subsequent tests conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board after the antenna relocation showed no additional communication problems

Safety protocol violations

• ▪The Federal Aviation Administration had mandated that all takeoffs and landings at the airport be halted whenever a helicopter passes on a conflicting route following a fatal January 2025 midair collision
• ▪Air traffic controllers failed to halt commercial flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during the August 4, 2026 incident, violating safety protocols
• ▪A January 29, 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near the airport killed 67 people, prompting permanent flight restrictions

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