Thaindian News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — A fighter jet on late Friday afternoon intercepted a small plane near Camp David in Maryland, where U.S. President Barack Obama is spending the holiday weekend, officials said on Saturday.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said the incident happened at around 4.45 p.m. EDT when a F-15 fighter jet intercepted a Piper aircraft near Camp David, where temporary flight restrictions are in place due to Obama’s stay at the presidential country retreat.

A NORAD spokesperson said the civilian aircraft was out of radio communications when it flew into restricted airspace, prompting a fighter jet to be dispatched. The plane later landed at Martinsburg Airport in West Virginia without incident and its pilot was questioned by law enforcement.

The NORAD spokesperson gave no other details about the incident, but there was no indication that the plane had approached Camp David on purpose. Obama and the First Family arrived at Camp David on Friday afternoon and are spending the Labor Day weekend at the retreat.

There has been a series of similar incidents in recent months, many which happen in Washington, D.C. or when Obama visits Camp David. On August 4, two F-16 fighter jets intercepted a small Kitfox 2 aircraft near Chicago during a visit by Obama. The plane was forced to land at Mill Rose Farm airport where it was met by local authorities.

NORAD is tasked to prevent air attacks against North America and safeguard the sovereign airspaces of the United States and Canada by responding to unauthorized air activity approaching and operating within these airspaces, and provide aerospace and maritime warning for North America. It is allowed to monitor, shadow, divert from flight path, direct to land and even destroy targets which are deemed to be a security threat to North America.