Trump’s helicopter and passenger plane collide in mid-air, then..

The military helicopter 'Marine One' carrying US President Donald Trump and a commercial passenger plane came very close in mid-air. Two US agencies have launched an investigation into the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of the incident.

According to the report, 'Marine One' carrying President Trump took off from the White House for Andrews Air Force Base at around 2:30 pm on Tuesday (August 4). At about the same time, an Embraer E-170 passenger plane operated by 'Envoy Air' of American Airlines also took off from Reagan National Airport in Washington.

According to general safety regulations, commercial aircraft should be temporarily restricted from flying in the vicinity of the president's helicopter or plane when it is in flight. However, due to communication ambiguities and delays in coordination, the horizontal distance between the two aircraft dropped below one mile.

According to federal safety regulations, at least 1.5 miles horizontal or 500 feet vertical safe distance must be maintained between two aircraft in the air.

Despite concerns about the incident, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said that President Trump was never in direct danger.

She said that Marine One is operated by some of the most skilled pilots in the world and that the entire incident will be reviewed and necessary corrective actions will be taken.

Meanwhile, the FAA said that even though the distance between the two aircraft fell below the prescribed safe limit, air traffic control maintained contact with the pilots of both aircraft at all times.

Source: NDTV