Qatar-Gifted Boeing 747 Flew as Low as 400 Feet Over Washington, Prompting 911 Calls and DCA Ground Stop
Why It MattersA short-notice military flyover through DCA's congested airspace, before the Pentagon and FAA have settled airspace rules after the Potomac collision, exposes how fragile civil traffic planning is around Washington.
The Qatar-donated Boeing 747 that serves as Air Force One dropped as low as 400 feet over Washington on Thursday, 29 October, according to flight-tracking data cited by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the top Democrat on the Senate aviation subcommittee. The jet made two passes at around 5:45 p.m. while President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump handed out sweets to costumed children on the South Lawn. With the president on the ground, the aircraft was not technically operating as Air Force One, a call sign reserved for when the president is aboard.
Duckworth's letter puts the aircraft between roughly 400 and 1,000 feet, with videos showing it near or below the top of the 555-foot Washington Monument. The Council of the District of Columbia said downtown Washington, the Pentagon and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) were given just 15 minutes' notice, and that the city's AlertDC system sent no public warning until 5:24 p.m. Emergency dispatch audio shows D.C. Fire units were sent out after at least one 911 call before a dispatcher noted that Air Force One was on manoeuvres.
The FAA said the flyover was coordinated with it and required a brief ground stop at DCA. FlightAware recorded 202 delayed flights at the airport that day, most tied to the halt. Duckworth said airlines had less than an hour's notice, and some inbound passengers reported circling over the region. The letter says the jet flew below the FAA minimum for civil aircraft over congested areas, which is 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within 2,000 feet.
Duckworth gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the FAA and the Office of Management and Budget until 20 November to explain the flyover. She asks Hegseth who requested the mission, whether it was logged as a training sortie and what it cost in fuel, aircrew and maintenance; asks the FAA's Bedford what altitude was authorised; and asks OMB's Vought which accounts paid for the flight. White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said the FAA "followed all necessary protocols" and that the display "brought joy and excitement." A Defense Department official told The Hill the department would respond directly to Duckworth.
Duckworth also tied the flyover to the 29 January 2025 midair collision over the Potomac, in which an Army Black Hawk struck American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, as it approached DCA, killing all 67 people aboard. She said the FAA has closed only three of the 35 National Transportation Safety Board recommendations made to it, 11 aimed at the Pentagon remain open, and more than 600 days later the FAA and the Pentagon still have no memorandum of understanding on Washington-area airspace. The Boeing 747-8, valued at about $400 million, was accepted from Qatar in May 2025 and first carried Trump on 1 July 2026 after a taxpayer-funded retrofit.
