Overview
- A Marine One departure and an Envoy Air E‑170 lost standard separation after the helicopter’s required three‑minute departure calls were not received on Aug. 4, 2026, producing a momentary close encounter with no injuries or damage.
- The NTSB found Marine One’s first radio call was not received and a second was broken and unreadable, and a planned relay through Joint Base Anacostia‑Bolling also failed.
- Tower audio and the report show controllers and HMX‑1 had met a week earlier to address spotty communications and agreed a backup method that did not work on the day of the incident.
- FAA technicians determined inadequate line‑of‑sight between the tower’s helicopter‑frequency receiver and the Ellipse, where Marine One was operating during White House construction, and moved the radios to the top of the control tower.
- The FAA has opened a safety review and met with the White House Military Office while the NTSB continues its investigation; preliminary separation estimates are about 0.82 nautical miles laterally and 700 feet vertically, and officials say the president was never in danger.