The FAA is reviewing a near miss involving Marine One and an Envoy Air Embraer E170 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after the presidential helicopter and the departing passenger jet came closer than required on 4 August. No one was injured, and the FAA said the aircraft were not on a collision course, but the episode has renewed scrutiny of Washington airspace procedures, communications handling and helicopter coordination.
The incident occurred as Marine One was leaving the White House area and the Envoy Air regional jet was departing for Pensacola, Florida. Reports on the closest separation vary slightly, but both point to a brief loss of required spacing. The FAA has opened a review that is examining radio coverage, antenna placement and the way Marine One movements are coordinated with air traffic control.
The case comes roughly 18 months after the fatal 2025 collision near Reagan National that killed 67 people and triggered tighter restrictions on helicopter operations in the same airspace. It also follows continued concern about whether the post-crash safeguards are fully reliable when presidential flights overlap with dense commercial traffic around the capital.