Report: Investigators Probing Private Plane That Got Too Close To Air Force One

President Donald Trump walks up the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, before is departure to Mar-a-Largo in Florida. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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U.S. aviation officials are investigating an incident in which a private aircraft and Air Force One flew closer to each other than permitted by air traffic control standards, according to a report by Bloomberg Wednesday.

The private plane and Trump’s official jet wound up about 2 nautical miles from each other on Friday, according to the report, which cited three unnamed sources familiar with the event. The planes were headed in the same direction, so there wasn’t a risk of collision, according to Bloomberg.

Reached by email, Federal Aviation Administration deputy assistant administrator for public affairs Laura J. Brown told TPM that the FAA does not comment “on VIP aircraft movements.”

The incident took place about 30 miles from Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, according to one source cited by Bloomberg.

Planes are supposed to maintain a “separation” of at least 3 nautical miles from each other near airports and 5 nautical miles at higher altitudes while under the supervision of air-traffic controllers, per the report.

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Notable Replies

  1. most likely

  2. Glad nothing happened, could have been a huge blow to the country losing Air Force One, with all of its history.

  3. Avatar for jsfox jsfox says:

    I got my call sign, POTUS by busting a W Presidential TFR here in NH. I am pretty sure the pilot had failed to call flight services before taking off which was my failure.

  4. Was it the plane of sanity? An alternate plane with concrete facts, maybe? Whatever it was is sure must have ruffled Twitler’s scales and feathers.

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