The US military has reportedly intercepted a single-engine private aircraft that entered the temporary no-fly ring over Palm Beach in south Florida during President Donald Trump's visit and was not responding air traffic controllers.
According to a statement released by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and seen by The Palm Beach Post, an F-16 fighter jet and military helicopter were scrambled to intercept the private plane at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday after it entered the restricted airspace.
NORAD Major Mark Lazane was quoted as saying that the pilot had established communications with ground control and was eventually chased away.
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Flight restrictions are in effect when Donald Trump visits his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. Air traffic is prohibited within a 1-mile radius from his estate due to safety concerns; there also is a 10-mile ban on air traffic around Mar-a-Lago with some exceptions for regular commercial flights and some non-commercial aircraft.
Small aircraft, such as gliders, seaplanes, and unmanned aircraft systems, are not allowed to take off inside a 30-mile zone around the resort, imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, 73 aviators slipped into the restricted airspace during Trump's first year in office.
In 2015, Trump filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming that the aircraft flying above Mar-a-Lago were destroying the historic estate. The lawsuit was eventually dropped.
