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A military helicopter carrying US President Donald Trump came dangerously close to a passenger plane in Washington on Tuesday. The incident occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, raising questions about air traffic control procedures. US agencies are now investigating the matter to determine why the situation arose and who was at fault. The incident took place around 2:30 PM on Tuesday. President Trump's helicopter had departed from the Ellipse near the White House, bound for Joint Base Andrews. About a minute later, an Envoy Air passenger plane (an E-170) took off from Reagan National Airport. Shortly after the passenger plane passed, Trump's helicopter also headed toward the airport area. The two aircraft came within a distance much smaller than the mandated safety margin. However, neither Donald Trump nor the people on board the passenger plane faced any immediate danger during the incident. Regulations require a minimum separation of 1.5 miles horizontally and 500 feet vertically between aircraft flying in this area. Preliminary investigations by US officials revealed that while the two aircraft were not heading directly toward each other, the distance between them was indeed less than the required minimum. Meanwhile, the White House stated that the President was never in danger. A *New York Times* report, citing two individuals familiar with the matter, stated that following a communication issue with air traffic controllers on Tuesday, 'Marine One' came within less than a mile of a passenger plane over the US capital. **FAA and NTSB Launch Investigation** The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that it is investigating an incident involving a "loss of separation" between a commercial aircraft departing from DCA (Washington National Airport) and 'Marine One' on August 4. White House spokesperson Kush Desai told AFP, "Marine One flights are flown by some of the world's best pilots, and the President was never at any risk." The US aviation regulator, the FAA, stated, "When the distance between the two aircraft narrowed, air traffic control was in contact with both the commercial pilot and the Marine One pilot. The President was never in danger. We are reviewing the incident and will take necessary corrective measures based on our investigation." 67 killed in collision between airliner and Black Hawk helicopter This incident is particularly significant because the FAA has strictly tightened safety regulations around Washington National Airport following a fatal collision between an airliner and an Army Black Hawk helicopter in January 2025, which resulted in 67 deaths. Meanwhile, a major plane crash occurred just last week near the city of Nazca in Peru. All 13 people on board, including the pilot, died when a tourist plane crashed.