F-16s Scramble Over Mar-a-Lago as Unauthorized Aircraft Breach Restricted Airspace
Over the weekend, F-16 fighter jets were deployed twice to intercept aircraft that entered restricted airspace over former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
“Twice in the past 48 hours, F-16 fighter jets from the Continental U.S. NORAD region responded to a general aviation aircraft over Palm Beach, FL, violating the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR). Pilots, please check NOTAMs!” the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced on X.
According to a NORAD statement, the first breach occurred at approximately 8:50 a.m. on Saturday. Restricted airspace is enforced over Mar-a-Lago whenever Trump is present.
The second unauthorized entry happened at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday.
https://x.com/NORADCommand/status/1898808341440455075
During the response, the F-16s “dispensed flares” that were visible from the ground, the release confirmed.
“The flares were used to draw attention from or communicate with the pilot,” the statement explained.
“Flares are employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground,” the release added.
Since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, NORAD has handled over 20 instances of restricted airspace violations near Mar-a-Lago, the report stated.
Gen. Gregory Guillot, NORAD Commander, emphasized that the agency “works closely” with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to “keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR).”
“Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the president,” Guillot stated.
“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, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR,” he said.
“If a pilot finds themselves intercepted by one of the fighters or helicopters, they should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and reverse course until further instructions are received on one of those frequencies.”
CBS reported that last week, F-16s intercepted three aircraft in the same region.
At no point was Trump believed to be at risk, the report confirmed.
These incidents in Florida coincided with a separate security situation in Washington, D.C., where Secret Service agents shot an armed individual near the White House, according to NBC.
The individual, identified as Andrew Dawson, 27, from Indiana, was wounded. NBC stated that authorities had been alerted about a suicidal person traveling from Indiana to Washington.
Trump was not present at the White House when the event occurred.