The Federal Aviation Administration announced new rules for air traffic control at Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday, following Michelle Obama’s aborted landing at the Prince George’s County base. From now on, an air traffic supervisor — not an air traffic controller — must be at the switchboard when the first lady or Vice President Biden is aboard a flight.
The rules apply to takeoffs and landings monitored by a control tower at Andrews, where the presidential fleet is based, and a regional radar facility in Warrenton, Va.
Flights carrying the president are already handled by air traffic supervisors.
“As of today, we are making the same supervisor oversight requirement for [vice president] and [first lady] flights in the D.C. area and at their destinations where possible,” an FAA spokeswoman said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it is investigating Monday afternoon’s aborted landing.
Michelle Obama and the vice president’s wife, Jill, were flying into Andrews around 5 p.m. when the Boeing 737 came dangerously close to a C-17 cargo plane as both approached Andrews for landing, according to the FAA.
The FAA requires planes as large as the 200-ton military cargo jet to remain five miles away from another aircraft, but the planes were about three miles apart.
The distance was “compromised,” the NTSB said.
“It’s my understanding that there was no imminent danger for the first lady or Dr. Biden or anybody else on the plane,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Wednesday. He said he had not spoken directly with the president about the incident.
The two were returning from New York, where they appeared on “The View” to discuss support for military families.
While the women escaped unscathed after a “go around” — they re-ascended and circled the airport before successfully landing — the same could not be said for the FAA’s clout with travelers. The incident follows nine nationwide suspensions of air traffic controllers and supervisors in recent weeks — five for sleeping on the job, including a March 23 citation at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The FAA official who oversees the national air traffic system stepped down last week.
