Air Force One near miss: controllers order Spirit Airlines jet to alter course as president flies to UK
Recording captures air traffic controller urgently directing Spirit Flight 1300 to turn and descend while Air Force One was over Long Island during President Trump's state visit to Britain
Air Force One carrying U.S. President Donald Trump was at the centre of a mid-air incident over Long Island on Tuesday when air traffic controllers ordered a Spirit Airlines jet to change course, American media reported.
Recordings posted on liveatc.net and shared on social media show an air traffic controller repeatedly directing Spirit Airlines Flight 1300 — an Airbus A321 travelling from Fort Lauderdale to Boston — to turn right and descend after noticing the aircraft's path and altitude appeared to converge with the presidential plane. The controller is heard raising his voice and warning the pilots to "pay attention" and "get off the iPad," and telling them to "turn twenty degrees right now" and that "traffic's off your left wing by ... eight miles." The audio also includes the line, "I'm sure you can see who it is," referring to the other aircraft.
CBS News and Bloomberg, reporting on the incident, quoted the recordings and said the controller intervened when he noticed the two aircraft on similar altitudes and aligned paths. Spirit Airlines told CBS News that "safety is always our top priority," that Flight 1300 "followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to Boston" and that the flight "landed uneventfully" in Boston. Preliminary public tracking data from FlightRadar indicated the closest the two jets came on converging paths was about 11 miles.
The Daily Mail reported it had contacted Spirit Airlines and the White House for comment. U.S. officials did not immediately provide additional details on the incident. Air Force One was transporting the president and First Lady Melania Trump to Britain for a state visit.
Mr. Trump arrived late Tuesday for an event that British officials called the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit in living memory. The itinerary includes a carriage procession to Windsor Castle, gun salutes, a military flypast and a state banquet. The visit has prompted large security deployments, including 1,600 police officers in London to help manage protests. Organisers of a "Stop the Trump Coalition" had planned demonstrations in response to the trip.
British and U.S. officials said the visit was being used to advance economic and technological cooperation. Announcements tied to the trip included a combined pledge of roughly $42 billion in investments by U.S. tech companies to help drive Britain's artificial intelligence sector: Microsoft reported a $30 billion commitment over four years for cloud computing and AI infrastructure, and Google disclosed plans for roughly £5 billion ($6.8 billion) in UK investment over two years. Financial firms including Bank of America, BlackRock, Citi, PayPal and S&P Global said they would expand operations in the UK, together pledging about £1.75 billion in investment.
The two governments also announced cooperation on nuclear and space technology under a so-called "Tech Prosperity Deal," and private-sector plans were reported for advanced nuclear projects that could create jobs in Britain. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the visit as an opportunity to deepen the "special relationship" and secure investment, while also aiming to press the U.S. on issues including support for Ukraine.
Investigations into mid-air incidents typically involve the Federal Aviation Administration and other aviation authorities, which review controller communications, flight data and radar tracks to determine any safety implications and whether further action is required. Officials did not immediately announce such a review in this case.