Overview
- The Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 used as Air Force One made two low passes over the National Mall and White House during a Halloween event, which occurred Thursday evening and was later posted by the White House's Rapid Response 47 account.
- The Federal Aviation Administration said the flight was coordinated and required a temporary ground stop at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a move that forced some inbound planes to circle and briefly halted departures and arrivals.
- The District of Columbia Council and other local officials said they received only about 15 minutes' notice, and many residents reported being startled or fearful because the flyover was unexpected.
- Public flight-tracking data reviewed by multiple outlets showed the jet flew at unusually low altitudes over parts of the city, roughly 400 to 1,000 feet, and air-traffic recordings captured pilots and controllers complaining about repeated fly-bys.
- The episode caused measurable operational disruption — FlightAware and airline reports linked about 202 delayed flights to the ground stop — and it has sharpened scrutiny of low-altitude operations in tightly restricted D.C. airspace after last year’s fatal crash near Reagan National.