Fri, Nov 21, 2003
Fighters Scrambled Just In Case
It was a blip on radar,
but these days, Washington figures you just can't be too careful.
The White House was evacuated and even Wall Street held its breath
for a time until the airspace over Washington was finally sorted
out.
"We've got our eyes on a particular corridor over the capital
24/7 and if the slightest infringement of that air space can't be
identified then we're inclined to evacuate principals in the White
House,'' said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.
"It's an inconvenience but unfortunately in the post-9/11 world
we've got to deal with it.''
It happened about 9:20am (EST) when the blip suddenly showed up
on radar, apparently inside the Washington ADIZ. In a sign of just
how nervous the nation still is in the wake of the terror attacks
on New York and Washington, Secret Service agents immediately
evacuated the White House, even though the president and First Lady
were in London at the time. Vice President Dick Cheney was whisked
away in a motorcade to an undisclosed location.
Secret Service agents armed with shotguns shooed away a group of
visiting school children along with senior administration
staffers.
Two F-16s were scrambled from Andrews AFB in nearby Maryland to
check out the blip. There was nothing to it.
"The fighters
determined that there was no threat but continued to patrol the
area,'' said NORAD spokeswoman Maj. Eric Butterbaugh (USAF).
"There was never a plane. It was a blip on one radar,'' said
FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler.
The Secret Service ended the evacuation after "the airspace
violation was determined to be a radar anomaly.''
Still, Wall Street slid for a time during the incident, keeping
one eye on a pair of terror blasts that killed 27 people in Turkey
earlier in the day.
Back at the White House, a spokesman said after the all-clear
was sounded, "The mood is fine."
More News
Chaff Thin, narrow metallic reflectors of various lengths and frequency responses, used to reflect radar energy. These reflectors, when dropped from aircraft and allowed to drift d>[...]
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947. I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding>[...]
“Teaming up with the EAA and Berlin Express for this event in Cincinnati will give warbird fans a unique opportunity to see the aircraft that helped defend freedom and gave t>[...]
Hazardous Weather Information Summary of significant meteorological information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST), urgent pilot>[...]
Aero Linx: The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission was created by the 1935 Legislature to oversee the development of aviation in the state. The Comm>[...]