Air traffic controllers missed Marine One's warning calls before near-miss incident

Federal investigators revealed that air traffic controllers in Washington and the pilots of President Trump's helicopter, Marine One, had discussed communication issues just one week before a near-miss incident involving the presidential helicopter and a jet.

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Controllers reported not receiving the standard three-minute warning call ahead of Marine One flights and both sides agreed to an alternative in those instances, but that plan to relay the radio call through someone else was also unsuccessful on the day of the Aug. 4 incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report shows.

The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report indicates that controllers reported not receiving the standard three-minute warning call prior to Marine One flights. An alternative communication plan was agreed upon, but this also failed on August 4, the day of the incident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

This event occurred despite safety procedures implemented after a midair collision near the airport last year that killed 67 people. The Pentagon and the Federal Aviation Administration have a longstanding agreement requiring a three-minute warning before the president's helicopter departs. NTSB recordings from the tower showed no reception of Marine One's takeoff warning calls, while separate recordings from ATC.com confirmed the calls were indeed made.

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Marine One flights are piloted by the finest aviators in the world, and the White House maintains the utmost confidence in these patriots and other security officials who are responsible for ensuring the President's safety.

Helicopter pilots attempted to relay their warning call through Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, but this communication also proved unsuccessful, according to the NTSB report. CBS News had previously reported that the Marine One pilot made three attempts to contact the tower at Reagan National to alert controllers about the impending takeoff. At one point, the tower acknowledged a communication but requested the pilot repeat the message due to it being "broken and unreadable."

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Although the President was at no point in harm's way during the August 4th momentary loss of separation, the White House continues to work with relevant military, FAA, and other security personnel to ensure the President's continued safety.

White House spokesman Kush Desai assured that the president was never in danger during the "momentary loss of separation." He added, "The White House maintains the utmost confidence in these patriots and other security officials who are responsible for ensuring the President's safety." The FAA had previously instituted a policy halting all takeoffs and landings at Reagan National when a helicopter passes by on a conflicting route, a measure enacted after a previous helicopter-airliner collision. Despite these measures, the helicopter and an airliner briefly came too close before maneuvering away from each other.

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The tower at one point acknowledged the communication but asked for the pilot to repeat the message because it "was broken and unreadable."