- Fighter jets intercepted two civilian planes that entered restricted airspace above President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home on Saturday and Sunday. The North American Command, or NORAD, deployed two fighter jets to warn the civilian aircraft they were in restricted airspace.
- On Saturday, a civilian plane flew over Mar-a-Lago forcing NORAD to intercept the aircraft and on Sunday another civilian aircraft entered the temporary flight restriction zone.
- A no-fly-zone is enforced over Mar-a-Lago when Trump is at his residence in Florida.
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Fighter jets intercepted two civilian planes entering restricted airspace above President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, deployed two fighter pilots to warn the civilian aircraft they were in restricted airspace.
When did the incidents occur?
On Saturday, a civilian plane flew over Mar-a-Lago, forcing NORAD to intercept the aircraft. Then, on Sunday, another civilian aircraft entered the temporary flight restriction zone.
A no-fly-zone is enforced over Mar-a-Lago when Trump is at his residence in Florida.
How did NORAD respond?
Officials said that fighter jets launched flares to alert the pilot as the F-16s directed the plane away from Trump’s home on Sunday.
Authorities posted details of the incident on the social media platform X.
Why is it becoming a major issue?
NORAD said it has tracked more than 20 violators of the flight restrictions over Mar-a-Lago since Trump’s return to office.
NORAD said none of the incidents were intentional, nor was the president in any danger at any time.
What are officials saying?
NORAD’s Commander General Gregory Guillot appeared to blame lack of attention to detail from pilots for the airspace violations.
Guillot said in a statement that following temporary flight restrictions “procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the president. The procedures are not optional and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen or NOTAMS, before each flight as required by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).”
