NTSB: White House helipad relocation contributed to Marine One close call

Marine One again briefly lost contact with controllers Thursday

The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that the relocation of Marine One’s helipad amid the White House construction work drove an August 4 close call between the presidential helicopter and a passenger jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The NTSB’s preliminary report attributed the incident to “communication issues” that prevented the Marine One crew from delivering the required three-minute notice to controllers before takeoff. Because controllers did not halt commercial flights, the helicopter and an Embraer E170 — operated by an American Airlines subsidiary and headed to Florida — came within 0.82 nautical miles laterally and 700 feet vertically. FAA rules require aircraft around airports to remain separated by at least 1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically. The Embraer was rerouted “out of caution,” the NTSB said.

Helicopter flights were moved from the White House South Lawn to the nearby Ellipse in May to accommodate construction projects, including a new presidential ballroom intended to replace the East Wing and a new helipad being built to handle a larger Marine One helicopter. According to the NTSB, the Marine One crew attempted at least twice to radio controllers ahead of its 2:33 p.m. liftoff on August 4 but could not be heard. A backup channel to a helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling also failed, and the Embraer departed one minute after the helicopter lifted off.

The NTSB reported that air traffic controllers met with Marine One staff on July 30 to voice “concern with recent reports of their not receiving the required ‘three minute to liftoff’ call.” The crew told controllers that communications “had been spotty,” the report said, and both sides agreed to use other means of contact when the tower could not be reached.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency has since relocated an antenna and adjusted procedures. The NTSB said checks following the relocation showed no subsequent communication problems.

The Associated Press reported Friday, however, that air traffic controllers again lost contact with Marine One briefly on Thursday as Trump was headed for an event in Texas. Communication was quickly restored and there was no safety issue, the AP said.

The episode followed the January 2025 midair collision between a commercial airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington that killed 67 people and prompted tighter proximity rules around Reagan.

The new helipad itself is undergoing changes because Trump is unhappy with its appearance and an apparent slope, it was reported this month.

The NTSB finding ties the August 4 incident to the same White House helipad construction project that Trump promoted on an August 19 tour and that earlier saw crews removing the helipad’s presidential seal.