FAA Probes Second Wing Clip Incident Involving Donald Trump’s Boeing 757 at West Palm Beach Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently investigating a wing-clip incident involving former President Donald Trump’s Boeing 757 at West Palm Beach International Airport. This event, which occurred early in the morning on May 12, marks the second such incident for the aircraft, affectionately dubbed “Trump Force One.”

The FAA reported that the privately owned Boeing 757, identified by the tail number N757AF and registered to DJT Operations I LLC—a Trump-owned company—landed safely around 1:20 a.m. local time. The incident unfolded as the aircraft was taxiing and its winglet made contact with a parked and unoccupied corporate jet owned by VistaJet. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported, although the extent of the damage to either aircraft remains unclear.

This incident took place in a section of the airport not directed by the FAA. According to the agency, “The incident occurred in an area of the airport where the FAA does not direct aircraft. The FAA is investigating.”

This is not the first time Trump’s Boeing 757 has been involved in such an accident. Aviation Safety Foundation records indicate a previous incident in November 2018, when the plane, while parked, was struck by a taxiing Bombardier Global Express jet. That incident also resulted in no injuries, but the Global Express was forced to reroute to a Bombardier service center in Hartford, Connecticut for repairs instead of continuing its planned trans-Atlantic flight.

The Boeing 757, with a storied history spanning over 30 years, has seen multiple stints of service and ownership changes since its delivery to Danish operator Sterling Airways in 1991. After being withdrawn from use by Sterling in September 1993, the aircraft was leased to Mexico’s TAESA Lineas Aereas in July 1994 by Lonella Ltd. It was later acquired by Vulcan Northwest in 1995, who reconfigured the aircraft for VIP use and re-registered it under its present tail number. The aircraft remained with Vulcan Northwest until transferred to Vulcan Aircraft in 2003, and was eventually purchased by Donald Trump in August 2010.

After being placed in storage in 2019, Trump Force One returned to service on October 19, 2022. The FAA’s ongoing investigation into the latest incident underscores the ongoing challenges and responsibilities of managing private aircraft operations, particularly those involving high-profile figures such as the former president.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, forbes.com