Ongoing construction at the White House complex was the primary factor behind a radio failure that led to a close-call safety incident on August 4, 2026, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board. The incident involved Marine One, carrying President Donald Trump, and an Envoy Air passenger jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
NTSB Finds White House Construction Caused Radio Failure During Marine One Close Call
Federal investigators found that construction work on the White House grounds—which includes a $600 million ballroom project and a granite helipad being installed on the South Lawn to withstand exhaust fumes from the new VH-92A Patriot helicopter—required Marine One to temporarily take off from the Ellipse beginning in May. This shift created an unexpected radio line-of-sight obstruction between the departure site and the Federal Aviation Administration radio transmitter and receiver site.
Communication Breakdown and Loss of Separation
Because of the signal blockage, air traffic controllers at Reagan National Airport did not receive the mandatory three-minute departure notice required for high-security presidential helicopter movements. The Marine One crew made at least two attempts to contact controllers before liftoff, but one transmission was not received while the other was broken and unreadable. An attempt to relay the required notice through the helicopter facility at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling was also unsuccessful.
Unaware of the impending helicopter liftoff, the airport control tower cleared Envoy Air flight 3742, an Embraer E-170 headed to Pensacola, Florida, for departure on a conflicting flight path. During the event, the commercial aircraft’s cockpit traffic collision avoidance system alerted the flight crew, and Marine One pilots identified the jet, initiating a hover to maintain a safe distance. Another regional flight, Republic flight 4700, was about 3 miles from the airport during the incident and was rerouted out of caution.
At their closest point of approach, the two aircraft came within 0.82 nautical miles (about 0.94 miles) laterally and 700 feet vertically. Officials and investigators noted that no injuries were reported and the aircraft continued their flights without incident, though the NTSB classified the event as a momentary loss of separation.
Prior Warnings and Remedial Infrastructure Changes
Following the investigation, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that the agency took immediate action by relocating radio receiver infrastructure and an antenna to the top of the airport control tower to improve signal integrity and bypass line-of-sight obstructions. Post-incident testing conducted by the NTSB confirmed that these modifications restored necessary coverage and resolved the communication issues.
The safety event occurred in airspace that has faced heightened scrutiny following a fatal midair collision between a regional jet and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport in January 2025 that killed 67 people, which prompted the implementation of permanent restrictions on helicopter operations around the airport.
