A security scare near Air Force One resulted in the Air Force to use F-16 fighter jets and deploy flares at Palm Beach International Airport ahead of President Donald Trump‘s flight back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday (March 29), the New York Post reports.
The White House said the incident took place after authorities lost communication with a general aviation plane and authorities imposed a ground stop as they rushed to confront the aircraft.
“The civilian aircraft violated the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) at approximately 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The aircraft was safely escorted out of the area by NORAD aircraft,” the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service said in a statement shared by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which oversees the airspace over the United States and Canada via the New York Post. “The flares were used to draw attention from or communicate with the pilot. Flares are employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground.”
The White House confirmed that Trump nor Air Force One was in danger as the president was at his golf course when the incident occurred.
“A general aviation aircraft was briefly out of communication with the air traffic control tower at Palm Beach International Airport, but contact was ultimately established and the ground stop was lifted,” a White House said in a statement to the New York Post. “There was no drone incursion or concern regarding Air Force One, which is not slated to take off until this evening.”
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