Officials: Plane carrying first lady got too close to military C-17

CNN Wire Staff

Washington (CNN) - A plane carrying Michelle Obama had to abort its landing on Monday after it came too close to a military C-17 cargo plane ahead of it, according to a senior administration official and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The planes - which were both trying to land - were three miles apart, when they are supposed to be five miles apart, the official told CNN. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating what went wrong, as it is believed to be an air traffic controller mistake, the official said.

The White House does not believe the first lady's life was ever in danger, the senior official said.

The FAA said in a statement controllers at Andrews Air Force Base instructed an incoming Boeing 737 to perform a "go around" "because the plane did not have the required amount of separation" behind the military plane.

The FAA is investigating. "The aircraft were never in any danger," the agency said.

The landing was briefly aborted and Obama's plane had to circle, the official said.

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