FAA investigates safety incident involving Trump's Marine One helicopter

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a safety incident that occurred Tuesday involving Marine One, the military helicopter carrying President Donald Trump, authorities said.

Marine One departed from the White House on Tuesday afternoon, according to reports. Air-traffic controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, located near the White House, had not halted commercial flights at the facility as required under safety protocols established following a fatal collision last year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing informed sources.

The FAA said in a statement that it was reviewing the incident but that it did not appear to constitute a dangerous close call. "The FAA is investigating a safety incident involving Marine One but it didn't appear to be a dangerous close call and the aircraft weren't apparently converging," the agency said.

An FAA spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that under federal regulations, Marine One and a commercial aircraft that was taking off did not appear to have dangerously approached one another.

Trump was traveling to Los Angeles to attend a Republican National Committee fundraising event and then to Las Vegas for a rally on August 5, according to reports.

The incident prompted a review by federal aviation authorities of procedures at the airport, which sits in close proximity to the White House and handles regular commercial traffic.