On the 29th, the presidential plane passed twice at roughly 122 to 305 meters over a children's Halloween event on the White House South Lawn, startling residents and halting takeoffs and landings at a nearby airport. The White House called it a fantastic flight for children, but city officials said they were notified only 15 minutes beforehand and voiced displeasure.
According to Kyunghyang Shinmun, citing Yonhap on the 31st, President Donald Trump and the First Lady held an outdoor event on the South Lawn at about 5:45 p.m. local time on the 29th, the start of the Halloween weekend. Guests were military, law-enforcement and administration officials and their children. The couple waved at the plane overhead while handing out candy, and guests cheered.
광고 문의 · 300×250The aircraft was Air Force One. The White House called it a fantastic Air Force One flight for children. The plane passed over the White House once more, and the Washington Post, citing flight-tracking data, said it flew at 122 to 305 meters.
Notice 15 minutes ahead, an airport at a standstill
The problem was that people outside the event knew nothing of it. The Washington, D.C. Council said on X that downtown officials, the Pentagon and airport officials were told only 15 minutes before the low pass, expressing surprise and displeasure. Per Kyunghyang, the U.S. military announced the planned flight over downtown at about 5:23 p.m., less than 20 minutes before it began.
Air traffic was affected at once. Reuters reported that the Federal Aviation Administration paused operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, about 6.4 km from the White House, for safety, delaying 202 takeoffs and landings. The count follows Reuters; losses by airline have not been confirmed.
Control-tower audio obtained by the Post captured a pilot asking, at about 5:49 p.m., how many more low passes there would be, and the controller replying that he hoped this was the last. It hints that the schedule was not well shared even on the control floor. The exchange does not, however, represent the FAA's official position.
The White House's explanation and residents' fear
Residents who did not know about the event were frightened by a huge unidentified aircraft roaring low overhead. The New York Times reported that some recalled the September 11, 2001 attacks. Social media filled with posts saying their hearts nearly stopped, and a former U.S. diplomat said he thought it was terrorism or a crash, calling it an unpleasant prank.
The White House line is that it was a ceremonial flight to add to a children's event. Critics counter that notice over the city was inadequate and that even commercial flights had to stop. Who approved the flight and by what procedure, and whether the FAA will open a separate review, could not be confirmed from the reports obtained.
A third view: low passes by presidential aircraft have drawn controversy before. In April 2009 a backup plane of the same type made a photo-op low pass near the Statue of Liberty over New York, sending people fleeing in alarm, and the White House apologized. Aviation outlets such as AVweb have revisited that episode, so the dispute this time is likely to center less on the flight itself than on whom was told, and how early. Critics who say public-safety communication was neglected at a tense time face defenders who call it an extension of a children's event.
