The incident occurred right before Trump was scheduled to depart Washington, D.C., for Dallas to attend the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention.
Trump arrived at Joint Base Andrews aboard Marine One but as personnel investigated the issue he remained onboard. The delay was about 15–20 minutes.
Emergency slide deploys unexpectedly
Footage from the base showed that an inflatable evacuation slide was deployed from an exit on the right-hand side of the aircraft.
Reportedly, the slide was accidentally deployed while personnel were carrying out checks on the aircraft. Soon after, military personnel was seen working around the affected exit before the slide was deflated and removed.
Trump later told reporters that the slide was being checked and said that he was confident in the aircraft’s safety.
Ultimately, the incident did not prevent the aircraft from departing for Dallas.
Qatar-gifted Boeing 747
The aircraft involved in the incident is the Boeing 747-8 that was supposedly gifted to the United States by Qatar and refitted for presidential use. The aircraft began serving as temporary Air Force One, it features the new distinctive red, white, blue and gold presidential livery.
Unlike the two Boeing VC-25A aircraft traditionally used as Air Force One, the Qatari aircraft is not equipped with the full range of modifications required to be part of the permanent presidential fleet.
The aircraft is scheduled for additional security-related work later this year before eventually being removed from presidential service.
Older Air Force One remained available
Interestingly, the incident occurred while the older presidential aircraft was also present at Joint Base Andrews.
The traditional blue-and-white VC-25A was reportedly moved out of its hangar and positioned nearby, providing an alternative aircraft should the newly acquired 747-8 have been unavailable.
The presence of a backup aircraft is part of the extensive logistical arrangements surrounding presidential travel.
Despite the unexpected deployment of the evacuation slide, the aircraft was cleared to operate and Trump subsequently boarded the 747-8 for the flight to Texas.
The incident caused only a short delay, with the aircraft continuing its scheduled presidential mission.
