Air traffic controllers at DCA warned about communication issues with the Marine Corps helicopter squadron staff prior to a safety incident earlier this month, a preliminary investigation showed.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport staff raised the issue of not receiving the required 3-minute liftoff alert from Marine One flight crews. Marine One — the call sign for the military chopper carrying the president — acknowledged at the time that communications “had been spotty,” according to the report.
The parties agreed to find alternative ways to reach one another during situations where air traffic controllers did not receive a 3-minute warning, the report said. A week after the meeting, Marine One tried to reach air traffic control at DCA twice — including through a separate helicopter facility — before it took off with Trump on board. The calls did not go through, the report said.