Air traffic controllers urgently and repeatedly ordered the pilots of Spirit Airlines flight 1300 to turn away from Air Force One Tuesday over Long Island, New York. The Spirit flight was traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Boston as Air Force One was carrying President Trump, first lady Melania Trump and manly others to a state visit to the United Kingdom.
“Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right,” an air traffic controller radioed according to recordings from liveatc.net. “Pay attention, Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right. Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right, now. Spirit wings 1300 turn 20 degrees right, immediately.”
Preliminary flight data from flightradar24.com indicates the Spirit Airbus A321 the closest the two jets came on converging paths was around 11 miles.
After the Spirit pilots acknowledged the transmission the controller clapped back, “Pay attention. Spirit 1300 traffic off your left wing by six mi– or eight miles, 747. I’m sure you can see who it is. Keep an eye out for him — he’s white and blue.”
“Safety is always our top priority,” a Spirit Spokesman told CBS News late Monday. “Spirit Airlines flight 1300 followed procedures and Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructions while en route to Boston and landed uneventfully (in Boston).”
Spirit pilot responses were inaudible due to static on the ATC audio, but the planes were never at what the FAA would consider an unsafe distance, though they clearly got closer than controllers wanted them to be.
The FAA issued a statement saying, “Preliminary investigation shows aircraft maintained the required separation.”
Controllers quipping shortly after, “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”
CBS News has reached out to the White House about this incident.
It was first spotted by an aviation tracker on social media, @xjonnyc.
— Ryan Sprouse, Katie Krupnik, and Sarah Ploss contributed to this report.