Emergency Slide Deploys on Qatari-Gifted Air Force One
Emergency Slide Deploys on Qatari-Gifted Air Force One
The News
Developing story.
An inflatable emergency slide deployed from President Donald Trump's Qatari-gifted Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, delaying his departure for the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.
Trump waited aboard Marine One while crews dealt with the slide, then told reporters the check would "take about 15 minutes" and said the plane was safe to fly on, according to ABC News.
The White House did not immediately explain the incident, the Daily Mail reported.
What Deployed
The slide unfurled from the front door on the right-hand side of the aircraft — the opposite side from the left-hand door the president normally uses to board, per the Daily Mail.
Timeline
Trump abandoned the new Qatari-gifted jet in Turkey on the advice of the Secret Service, according to the Daily Mail, and was moved off the aircraft in an airline catering truck before flying to England on a smaller plane.
Marine One touches down at Joint Base Andrews. Trump remains inside well after landing with the helicopter's door closed, the Daily Mail reported, citing multiple reports.
The older blue-and-white Air Force One is rolled out of its hangar and into position a few hundred yards behind the Qatari-gifted jet, then lowers its front and rear steps.
Minutes later, the inflatable emergency slide unfurls from the new plane's front right-hand door.
Trump steps off the helicopter and speaks with reporters, saying crews are checking the slide. He then boards with cameras still rolling, the Daily Mail reported.
Reactions
Trump played the delay down. "They were doing a check on the slide. I think it takes 15 minutes," he told reporters after stepping off Marine One, per the Daily Mail. "They were checking it before" the flight, he continued, adding, "they want to make sure everything works perfectly."
He told reporters the aircraft was safe to fly on, ABC News reported.
The White House did not immediately explain the delay, according to the Daily Mail.
What's Next
Trump said the slide check would take roughly 15 minutes before departure. He is due in Dallas for the Republican midterm convention, which runs Wednesday and Thursday.
Unanswered so far: what caused the slide to deploy, and whether the White House or the Air Force will say anything more about the aircraft's condition.
More
The Qatari-gifted 747 has been a running controversy since Trump moved to press it into service as Air Force One. The Daily Mail describes it as his "problematic" new plane and points to the July episode in Turkey as evidence of prior concerns about the aircraft.
Coverage of Wednesday's incident does not split on the facts — ABC News, The Independent and the Daily Mail all report the same sequence of events.
Poll
Should Trump keep flying the Qatari-gifted jet?
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