The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation following an aviation safety incident involving the presidential helicopter Marine One, which was carrying US President Donald Trump. The incident occurred Tuesday in Washington airspace, prompting authorities to clarify the circumstances and determine whether safety procedures were followed.

According to foreign media reports, the helicopter took off from the White House on Tuesday afternoon, but air traffic controllers had not suspended commercial aircraft takeoffs and landings at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in time, as required by security protocols governing presidential movements.

The FAA is investigating whether the required safety separation between aircraft was breached, an occurrence known as a loss of standard separation. In such cases, regulations require a minimum horizontal distance of 1.5 miles and a vertical distance of 500 feet between aircraft.

However, an FAA spokesperson said Marine One and the commercial aircraft taking off were not in dangerous proximity and were not on converging courses. Therefore, the incident is not considered serious, nor is it believed to have posed an immediate risk of collision. Speaking for the White House, spokesperson Kush Desai stressed that Marine One flights are operated by some of the best pilots in the world and that the president’s safety was never compromised.

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