Tue, Nov 11, 2003
More from the "we sure didn't need this" department...
Shortly after 1100
Monday morning, a lone Mooney M20E allegedly strayed into the
Washington ADIZ, causing a pretty extensive security alert --
including the launching of two F-16s and a bit of excitement at the
White House... even though the President was away.
NORAD's MSgt Gary Carpenter spoke to ANN a few moments ago and
reported that two F-16s were dispatched from Andrews AFB to
intercept the Mooney. The intercept proceeded well, and the pilot
complied with the instructions given to him and was escorted from
the airspace. "The aircraft was not a threat, and once out of the
airspace, he was allowed to continue south."
Upon leaving the airspace, the aircraft originally bound for
Jacksonville, FL, was allowed to continue to a fuel stop in SC and
was shadowed by a Customs aircraft for part (if not all) of the
route. White House officials note that both President Bush and
First Lady Laura Bush were NOT at the White House at the time, but
that Vice President Cheney was. As a result of this incursion, Vice
President Dick Cheney and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card
were moved temporarily to a secure location until the situation was
judged to be non-threatening.
FAA Sources had limited
information when we talked to them, but all concerned seemed to
understand that this appeared to be an accidental violation of the
ADIZ. According to the FAA's Bill Shumann, both the ADIZ and a
Restricted Area were violated.
The massive and intricate Washington ADIZ, often a source of
concern to both Private and Commercial pilots, is under increasing
fire for being increasingly hard to navigate as well as the fact
that the tolerances involved in getting around certain areas of the
ADIZ leave little room for error... especially when the weather is
less than decent VFR.
The pilot is expected to be interviewed and interrogated about
the incident in SC, if not in JAX. Possible enforcement actions may
be taken by the FAA against his certificate, depending on the
circumstances involved. More info to follow...
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