A security scare at Palm Beach International Airport Sunday, March 30, led to the Air Force to scramble F-16 fighter jets and deploy flares. This happened hours before Air Force One was scheduled to fly President Donald Trump back to DC.
A ground stop was imposed at the airport as authorities confronted the civilian aircraft.
According to the White House, the security scare happened after authorities lost communication with a general aviation plane.
“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 explained in a statement shared by the North American Aerospace Defense Command — which controls the airspace over the US and Canada, according to the New York Times.
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The statement added, “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.”
Is Donald Trump OK?
{{/usCountry}}The statement added, “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.”
Is Donald Trump OK?
{{/usCountry}}The White House and Secret Service have confirmed that Trump and Air Force One were not in danger.
“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 official told the outlet. “There was no drone incursion or concern regarding Air Force One, which is not slated to take off until this evening.”
At the time of the incident, the US President was at Trump International Golf Course.
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Some reports initially suggested that some kind of drone incursion at the airport led to the ground stop. Footage circulating online showed a Delta pilot informing passengers of the security scare, claiming that “they had to scramble some helicopters to go and investigate” the situation.
According to a Secret Service spokesperson, the helicopter seen taking off was possibly not related to the security scare. “While airspace violations are relatively common, particularly outside of Washington, DC, that helicopter referenced in the tweet was actually authorized for that specific area and was not related to a drone or Temporary Flight Restriction, TFR, violation,” the spokesperson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to the New York Post that “Operations are normal after the FAA slowed traffic at Palm Beach International Airport due to volume.”