The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!
The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!

Get my Daily BS twice-a-day news stack directly to your email.


Air Force One mystery solved after delayed Trump flight raises speculations

by

BS BULLETIN:

  • President Donald Trump’s departure for the Republican midterm convention in Dallas was briefly delayed Wednesday after an emergency evacuation slide deployed from the new Air Force One.
  • Multiple outlets now report that military personnel accidentally triggered the slide, clearing up initial uncertainty over whether it had been intentionally deployed for testing.
  • Trump expressed confidence in the aircraft, boarded after the slide was removed and flew safely to Dallas.

The mystery surrounding an unusual scene aboard President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One has an explanation: somebody accidentally hit the emergency slide.

Trump’s departure from Joint Base Andrews for the Republican midterm convention in Dallas was briefly delayed Wednesday when an inflatable evacuation slide suddenly deployed from the front-right side of the presidential aircraft.

The president had arrived aboard Marine One but remained inside the helicopter for roughly 20 minutes as Air Force personnel dealt with the problem. At the time, Trump told reporters that personnel were checking the slide.

“They want to make sure everything works perfectly,” Trump said.

Asked whether he remained confident the aircraft was safe to fly, Trump responded, “Yeah, I am — or I wouldn’t be on it.”

But subsequent reporting provided a more complete explanation.

Sources familiar with the incident told CBS News that a member of the Air Force crew accidentally triggered the inflatable slide. Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and other outlets independently reported that military personnel inadvertently activated it.

The mishap produced an unusual scene at Andrews.

As crews worked on the new aircraft, the older blue-and-white presidential 747 was brought nearby as a potential backup. Personnel ultimately deflated and removed the deployed slide, and Trump boarded the newer aircraft. The plane then departed for Texas and completed the flight to Dallas without incident.

The aircraft is the Boeing 747-8 originally provided by Qatar and subsequently converted for presidential use. Trump began flying aboard it this summer, although additional security upgrades are planned. Reuters reports that Trump said last week the aircraft is expected to be taken out of service in October for approximately 60 days for those upgrades.

Wednesday’s episode therefore appears considerably less mysterious than it initially looked. The emergency equipment worked. It just wasn’t supposed to work right then.

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

today’s hot news