U.S. President Donald Trump’s departure for Dallas was delayed due to the accidental deployment of an emergency inflatable slide on Air Force One. The president was unable to set off for about 20 minutes while the issue was being resolved, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
The incident occurred at Joint Base Andrews after Trump arrived by Marine One helicopter. An emergency inflatable slide unexpectedly deployed near the front of the presidential aircraft.
According to a Bloomberg source, it was accidentally activated by military personnel. Ground staff needed about 20 minutes to remove the structure and prepare the aircraft for departure.
Trump initially gave a different reason
Before information about the accidental deployment emerged, the president told reporters that specialists were “checking the slide” because they wanted to make sure everything was working properly.
Asked whether he was confident in Air Force One’s safety, Trump replied: “Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be on it.”
The aircraft in question is a Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar and converted for use as Air Force One. It does not have the full suite of communications, protection, and defense systems installed on the presidential VC-25 aircraft, although the U.S. Air Force had previously stated that the aircraft was safe for presidential flights.
After the issue was resolved, Trump departed for Dallas.