Report: Air Force One Nearly Hit By Possible Drone During Flight With Trump On Board
President Donald Trump’s Air Force One was nearly hit by an unidentified drone while in flight. According to the Daily Mail, the White House has launched an official investigation after Air Force One was nearly hit by a small object that allegedly looked like a drone as it was trying to land in Maryland. President Trump, First Lady Melania, and BarronTrump were on board when the incident happened. Reports suggest that Air Force One was approaching Joint Base Andrews on Sunday evening when the near-miss allegedly occurred. White House correspondent Sebastian Smith weighed in on the matter via Twitter. “@realDonaldTrump just landed at Andrews on AF1. Shortly before, while descending, we flew right over a small object, remarkably close to the president’s plane. Resembled a drone though I’m no expert,” he said. Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs also took to Twitter to weigh in on the situation. “Multiple people on AF1 saw what appeared to be a drone just below the plane as we were descending toward Joint Base Andrews. We came very close to hitting it, per @SebastianAFP, who had a window seat,” she tweeted. White House Military Office and the Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing confirmed that they are “aware of the report.” They also released a short statement saying that an investigation is underway. This is hardly the first time something like this has happened in recent weeks. Last week, a small aircraft was intercepted after it flew into restricted airspace near President Trump’s New Jersey golf club. On Saturday afternoon, an F-15 jet and an MH-65 helicopter redirected the RV-7 plane, which entered a no-flight zone above the course. At first, the plane did not respond to communication. The F-15 dispensed signal flares to get the pilot’s attention, and they were eventually able to establish radio communications. “The President was not in danger and the security of the complex was maintained throughout,” the Secret Service said in a statement. Nearly two weeks ago, the FBI launched an investigation after an Air Force helicopter assigned to President Trump’s support detail that was hit by a bullet while flying over Virginia. The helicopter is part of the 1st Helicopter Squadron, which “supports the movement of the president and other senior government officials to and from Andrews.” Early reports seem to suggest that the helicopter was shot by someone from the ground. The president was not on the helicopter or any other aircraft at the time. The FBI released a statement saying: “The FBI Washington Field Office is working jointly with our law enforcement partners, including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.” |
