Trump’s plane almost collided with a passenger jet over New York
On September 16, a situation arose in New York in which a collision almost occurred between the plane of US President Donald Trump and a Spirit Airlines passenger flight. Bloomberg published information about this incident on September 17.
The incident occurred over Long Island while the Air Force One plane was en route to London. At the same time, Spirit flight 1300 — an Airbus A321- was on the same air route, heading from Fort Lauderdale to Boston.
The controllers noticed that both planes were at a similar altitude and had cross courses. They tried several times to contact the Spirit pilots, ordering them to change course 20 degrees to the right. However, the crew’s reaction was not immediate.
The controller had to raise his voice to get the pilots’ attention.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the controller raised his voice and said:
“Attention! Spirit 1300, change course 20 degrees immediately!”
The command was also given:
“Change course 20 degrees. URGENT. Spirit 1300 — NOW!”
Only after these words did the pilots agree to change course.
The controller explained to the crew that six to eight miles to their left was a 747 — the presidential plane — and added:
“I’m sure you know who this is.”
At the end of his message, the controller made one more remark:
“Be careful! Turn off your iPad!”
The situation did not pose a threat of a collision, but it did attract attention.
Despite the tension of the moment, the planes did not exceed the minimum permissible distance in the air. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that “there was no danger of collision, the required distance was maintained.”
Spirit Airlines representatives stated that the crew acted in accordance with instructions, and the flight ended without problems. The plane landed safely in Boston without delays.
“The safety of our passengers always comes first,” the airline emphasized.
President Trump’s plane arrived in London for a state visit.
On the evening of September 16, Donald Trump arrived in London to participate in a scheduled meeting with King Charles at Windsor Castle. Discussions with American companies about investments in the United Kingdom’s technological infrastructure are also expected as part of the visit.
A coalition of European leaders has convinced President Trump that Russia is not interested in a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and must be forced into negotiations. The parties are currently working to formulate the details of this initiative against the backdrop of unpredictable policy from the White House.
