NTSB Blames White House Construction for Marine One's 0.82-Mile Reagan Close Call
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 27
NTSB Blames White House Construction for Marine One's 0.82-Mile Reagan Close Call
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 27
Summary
An NTSB preliminary report found White House construction forced Marine One to depart from the Ellipse on Aug. 4, where a temporary takeoff spot left the helicopter without a direct radio line of sight to Reagan National controllers.
Air traffic recordings showed Marine One’s first call was not received and its second was unreadable, so controllers did not halt commercial traffic despite a required three-minute warning before departure.
The communication failure led to a momentary loss of separation with a commercial jet: the aircraft came within 0.82 nautical miles laterally and 700 feet vertically before continuing to diverge.
Controllers and Marine One pilots had discussed communication problems a week earlier, and the FAA later relocated an antenna; on Thursday, another Marine One warning had to be relayed by a U.S. Park Police helicopter before takeoff.
The incident drew added scrutiny because helicopter operations near Reagan were sharply restricted after a 2025 midair collision that killed 67 people.