Washington, D.C. residents dialed 911 in panic when a huge jet thundered low over their neighborhoods during Halloween week, with many fearing a crash was seconds away. Dispatch recordings later revealed the aircraft was Donald Trump‘s Air Force One, flown over the White House as a holiday stunt for trick-or-treaters.
Why a low-flying Air Force One startled people in Washington
Emergency crews scrambled early Thursday night after calls poured in about a large jet skimming rooftops across the capital. A dispatcher calmed anxious callers by explaining that “Air Force One is on maneuvers,” according to audio first reported by Andrew Leyden.
Minutes before the 911 calls began, the White House had already shared video of the flyover on social media. “An epic Air Force One flyover at the White House for the trick-or-treaters!” the White House’s Rapid Response account posted, with footage showing Donald and Melania Trump waving from the lawn, candy baskets in hand, as the presidential jet passed overhead.
The spectacle landed differently on the street. Milen Rodban, caught off guard by the unannounced flight, said she suffered “a mini heart attack along with everyone else on the street.” John Gramlich of the Pew Research Center called it “startling to say the least for those of us who live here and thought it was a commercial airliner.”
The D.C. City Council joined the chorus of startled residents, writing on X, “This flyover provided just fifteen minutes notice to anyone in downtown DC, at the Pentagon, or at National Airport” and that “It startled many, including us.”
Tracking data put the aircraft’s altitude between roughly 400 and 1,000 feet. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it coordinated the Halloween flight, and White House spokesperson Allison Schuster defended the maneuver, saying “the FAA followed all necessary protocols to ensure the safety of Washington, D.C. residents.”
Schuster added that the flyover “brought joy and excitement” to Halloween celebrations and accused “the left-wing media” of manufacturing outrage (via Daily Beast).
