Trump’s Air Force One flies dangerously close to the White House, shocking and frightening visitors
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Visitors to the White House were scared early on Halloween when Air Force One flew dangerously low and close to the monument.
The surprising moment was shown in a video shared by the Trump administration, showing the plane flying over the Washington Monument as President Trump and first lady Melania Trump looked on.
In the clip, Trump can be seen waving his hand gently as the plane approaches the White House.
However, the plane’s apparent low altitude made some people in the city anxious. Washington DC is closely linked to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, after terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, killing 184 people.
“I’m used to flyovers in Washington DC, but this one scared me,” wrote one X user. “Seeing an airliner flying low here would be a very bad sign! It took a second to realize what it was.”
One user said: “I definitely haven’t seen this before watching Air Force One fly overhead at super low altitude and having a mini heart attack with everyone else on the street. »
Based on flight data reviewed by The Washington Postthe plane had an altitude between 400 feet and 1,000 feet as it flew over Washington, DC. Federal guidelines for military flyovers, such as those at sporting events, require planes to stay at least 1,000 feet above the landmark.
According to flight data reviewed by The post officethe plane flew over the White House twice during the Halloween event.
DC officials also criticized the move.
“This flyover provided only fifteen minutes notice to anyone in downtown DC, the Pentagon, or National Airport. This surprised many, including us,” a DC Council spokesperson wrote on X.
In a clip shared by the White House Rapid Response 47 account, various children can be seen looking up as the plane flies over the White House. In the images, the presidential building has been decorated with vines and sports a sign reading: “HALLOWEEN 2026.”
On Thursday, around 4:40 p.m., Trump informed members of the White House press corps that the plane would fly over the White House.
“We have an awful lot of young kids there, so it will be good,” he said. “It’ll be a lot of fun. So I hope you’ll be there.”
Less than an hour later, a press release informing residents that the flyover would take place was broadcast at 5:24 p.m. on the AlertDC account on X.
“How many more flybys does he make?” » » asked a pilot around 5:49 p.m., in a recording viewed by the Job and originally published on ATC.com.
“I hope it’s the last one,” another pilot can be heard responding.
The first lady’s office later shared footage from the event on Instagram, in which Melania and the Commander-in-Chief hand out candy to children.
In the video, groups of children are dressed as everything from the Founding Fathers to superheroes like Batman.
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