On September 17, 2025, an adrenaline-charged air traffic control episode unfolded when Spirit Airlines Flight 1300 flew dangerously close to Air Force One transporting President Trump. Controller audio recordings capture warnings barked multiple times at the Spirit pilot ordering immediate course correction.
Over Long Island, New York, the aircraft traveled parallel within nine miles horizontally and approximately 9,000 feet vertically—a proximity that caused alarm despite no breach of FAA safety rules.
🚨 WOW! Air Traffic Control had to SCREAM at a Spirit Airlines flight who was getting too close to Air Force One
“Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right IMMEDIATELY! … Pay attention! Get off the iPad!”
You couldn’t PAY me to fly on Spirit at this point.
pic.twitter.com/BUA8d7yWSY— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 17, 2025
The controller can be heard repeatedly commanding the Spirit pilot to turn right by 20 degrees and alerting the crew to the massive 747 and its significance. The most striking phrase was the directive to “get off the iPad,” addressing what the controller interpreted as pilot distraction.
Spirit Airlines confirmed full compliance with procedures, while the FAA underscored the incident presented no safety hazard. The intense audio, however, underlines how air traffic controllers maintain vigilance especially around protected flights like Air Force One.
The situation, successfully managed without incident, was later described as a reminder of the pressures inherent in handling national security-related flights.
