FAA Probes Possible Marine One Safety Breach Involving Trump

The Federal Aviation Administration is examining whether a new aviation safety protocol may have been breached during a Tuesday incident involving a commercial aircraft and Marine One while President Donald Trump was aboard, News Outlet confirmed.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the episode unfolded as a commercial plane departed Reagan International Airport around the same time Trump was leaving the White House aboard the presidential helicopter.

The White House said the president was not at risk at any point.

“Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the president in harm’s way,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News in a statement.

In its own statement to News Outlet, the FAA also emphasized that Trump’s safety was not compromised.

“Based on our preliminary safety review, there was momentary loss of separation, after which the aircraft continued to move away from one another. The air traffic controller was in contact with both the commercial pilot and Marine One pilot during the loss of separation. As the White House has said, the president was never in danger. We are continuing to review the incident and will implement any appropriate corrective actions based on our findings,” the agency said.

A loss of separation is a breach of FAA rules that stipulate that aircraft at the same height must be at least three miles apart if they are within 40 miles of an Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) antenna.

Trump was departing the White House for a planned trip to Los Angeles when the incident occurred.

When contacted for comment, the U.S. Secret Service referred Fox News to the White House and FAA’s comments.

Fox News’ Patrick Ward contributed to this post.