FAA adds backup alert for Marine One departures after close call with Envoy Air jet

The FAA introduced a backup alert procedure that requires the National Capital Region Coordination Center to notify Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s control tower before Marine One departs the White House, while crews must still give the standard three‑minute notice to controllers.

The change follows an August 4 incident in which Marine One and a departing Envoy Air Embraer E170 came within 0.82 nautical miles laterally and 700 feet vertically, a separation that met the Class B radar‑separation standard, and after earlier meetings identified missed notifications and radio‑coverage problems that led to an unsuccessful alternate communication attempt and unreadable transmissions.