Air traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport again had difficulty communicating by radio with President Donald Trump’s helicopter as it prepared to depart the White House on Thursday, relying on other helicopters in the air to relay messages to Marine One, according to air traffic control audio reviewed by CNN.
The incident is similar to one on August 4, when Marine One departed the Ellipse after two unsuccessful attempts to make the required call to the tower three minutes before liftoff, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report.
Because controllers did not receive that call earlier this month, departing commercial flights were not stopped as they normally are for a presidential helicopter movement, leading to Marine One coming within .82 nautical miles laterally and 700 feet vertically of an Envoy Air passenger jet that had just taken off.
Following the latest incident on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration said communication was ultimately established before Marine One took off.
“The three-minute notification was communicated by alternate means, acknowledged by a controller and positive contact was established with Marine One before takeoff,” the agency told CNN.
