Key facts
- An antenna was relocated and a procedure was changed after a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump came too close to a passenger jet.
- The incident occurred on August 4th near Reagan Washington National Airport.
- FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated the communication issue has been resolved.
- The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated on Tuesday that an antenna was relocated and a procedure was changed following an incident on August 4th where a military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump, known as Marine One, came too close to a passenger jet departing Reagan Washington National Airport. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford expressed confidence that the communication issue has been resolved.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident. This event follows a January 2025 crash that killed 67 people, after which the FAA barred mixed helicopter and jet traffic around the airport.
Congress previously awarded the FAA $12.5 billion to upgrade its air traffic control and radar systems after a series of failures, including significant outages affecting Newark and Washington traffic and a nationwide ground stop in 2023. Bedford has requested an additional $10 billion, warning that delays in modernization efforts are already occurring due to funding shortfalls.
The FAA plans to implement a new system called SMART, developed by Air Space Intelligence under an $875 million, 12-year contract. This system aims to reduce congestion and delays using predictive analytics for flight management before departure. Testing is scheduled to begin on September 14th, with several commercial airlines participating.
The FAA has faced long-standing challenges with air traffic congestion, exacerbated by rising demand, runway construction, weather issues, and air traffic controller shortages. The agency previously ordered airlines at Chicago O'Hare to cut 300 daily flights due to congestion, extending these cuts until October 2027.