Fox News Reports Plane Violated DC No Fly Zone

Reuters quotes the Homeland Security identifying it as a Cessna.
 
These incursions and mass evacuations seem to happen every time Congress starts to pressure the Administration about lifting the ADIZ and DCA restrictions.....
 
ABC - Aircraft is now 20 miles outside, will be forced down.
 
ABC: Pilot has been "detained" 17-20 miles outside DC
 
ABC: Plane from Pennsylvania, now down at FDK

Plane was at 2500 feet when it went NORDO and violated airspace. Dulles and National were closed at the time.
 
ABC: Pilot got close to the Capitol, made a series of right turns and was over VP's house. Now at FDK.

Flew from PA, over Baltimore.
 
ABC: Cessna 1200 (?) from PA. Pilot did not have permission to be in the ADIZ. Got within 3 miles of Capitol when they evacuated. Made a right turn, ended up over VP's residence at 2500 feet. Then headed north out of ADIZ. Controllers were not talking to pilot at any point. On ground at FDK being questioned.

Maybe they mean squawking 1200.
 
CNN's Bernard Shaw says that the plane was circled by 2 F-16's firing flares.
 
Capitol Police news conference at 1pm (I guess that's now - they're not talking yet).
 
(BTW - if you find these news updates helpful, feel free to express your opinion with a reputation entry.)
 
ABC: Owner/Pilot (?) from LNS - member of Vintage Plane Club
 
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Tail number 5826G - seen on end of runway at FDK on ABC TV. Cessna 150 registered to Vintage Aero Club of Lancaster, PA.
 
White House Spokesman:

President was off-site biking.

11:59am - threat level raised to Yellow at White House. Cessna 15 miles north at the time. About noon, fighters scrambled. 12:01pm Threat level Orange at 10 miles and evacuation ordered. Pilot not responding to communication. Alert level raised to Red at 3 miles at 12:03pm. At 12:11pm (back to Yellow) as plane turned west away from Capitol. All clear at 12:14pm.

Pilot and plane on ground, escorted by Blackhawk helo, being interviewed.

President was notified. Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Reagan were taken to secure location. VP was evacuated off grounds and has since returned.
 
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The plane is registered to Vintage Aero Club, Smoketown, PA (S37 not LNS)
 
They ought to let a jury of pilots decide this guy's fate -- with the 8th Amendment suspended for the occasion.

At this point, there is just no excuse for any licensed pilot not knowing about this thing and blowing that far into it. While I have little sympathy for those who clip the ADIZ trying to skirt it too closely, I can understand how it happens. OTOH, I cannot imagine any possible explanation for how one could end up nearly in the center of the FRZ uninvited.
 
Aircraft towed to a tiedown at FDK - about 1000 feet to the left of the writing on the taxiway that says "FDK 122.725" - for those who know FDK. It's near an FBO, but I don't know the area - two hangars near two two-story buildings with brown brick.
 
Pilot seen on ABC in handcuffs. About 6' - dark hair, looks kinda young, wearing gray T-shirt and gray shorts and a baseball cap.
 
Ron Levy said:
They ought to let a jury of pilots decide this guy's fate -- with the 8th Amendment suspended for the occasion.

At this point, there is just no excuse for any licensed pilot not knowing about this thing and blowing that far into it. While I have little sympathy for those who clip the ADIZ trying to skirt it too closely, I can understand how it happens. OTOH, I cannot imagine any possible explanation for how one could end up nearly in the center of the FRZ uninvited.
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He penetrated both the ADIZ and FRZ. Both are old news. My feelings on them aside, and my ever growing tiredness at having our government officials act like craven cowards every time an airplane flies overhead, these restrictions are old news. Even if you get lost around here, you shouldn't be that lost, or that out of contact. We are less than an hour from the ADIZ here, it's not like we can fly without being aware of it. You get lost, you holler for help and/or head away from the ADIZ. I'm having a hard time believing this was an inadvertent incident, unless the pilot is dismally incompetent. As I wonder if we are going to end up with a 30 mile no-fly zone instead of an ADIZ, I agree, let the "pilot" be judged by his/her peers.

Yes, Bill, I've noticed that there seems to be an attention grabbing incident everytime TSA/Homeland Security is catching crap from Congress. Our chairborne warriors don't know crap about security, but they have proven expert at political manipulation.
 
I'm with all of you. He's at FDK - I'm sure that there are a few folks at AOPA who would be glad to apply "corrective measures".
 
Ron Levy said:
One of Guthrie's friends, eh?:D
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Actually, I saw the police "escorting" the handcuffed pilot into the police vehicle. He looked to be about 6'4", 190 lbs and had a Mooney hat on. :)
 
You must have had a better picture than my little 2"x2" webcast from a helicopter!
 
Now they've got talking head "PJ Crowley" of the "Center for American Progress" saying that GA is a "serious threat". Sam Donaldson is taking the other side.

I think this ends my breaking coverage. News has moved onto filling time.
 
"Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, told The Associated Press he was on the Senate floor when police told him to evacuate. "They said, 'Get out of here.' So I ran. There's no joking about this kind of stuff," Shelby said.

On the House floor, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, said, "There was so much commotion in the gallery," AP reported. "People were yelling in the gallery. We thought something had happened in the gallery, and then the alarm came to evacuate.""

ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!! Maybe it just comes from formerly having a job that required me to stand my ground no matter what, but American leaders crawling and panicking like this is unspeakably disgusting to me. I swear, I will vote for whoever stands their ground next time, no matter who they are. If Hillary Clinton has the balls to uphold our honor, I'll vote for her for President. I am sick of our so called "leaders" belly crawling. Sure, there is about a million to one chance they'll get killed standing their ground, but at least they'll die like Americans instead of living yellow.
 
Joe Williams said:
If Hillary Clinton has the balls to uphold our honor, I'll vote for her for President.
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Chuck, is our archive process working? This is a post I want to hold on to. :) However, I'd say Joe is not at risk here.

Joe Williams said:
I am sick of our so called "leaders" belly crawling.
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Amen and amen.
 
A quote from the AP Story:

The plane was registered to Vintage Aero Club, a group of about 10 people who fly from Smoketown Airport in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, said club member Merv King. He said he did not know who was flying it Wednesday but provided police a list of club members.

"It was not on our scheduled booking, so I have no clue," said King.
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Oh GREAT! CNN is going on and on about how easy it is to get onto GA airports and take an airplane. Not enough security according to their "expert". MSNBC is discussing how many airplanes are flying around without flight plans and nobody is tracking them. Their "expert" is calling for more regulation.

Hang him high.
 
I hope the continual false alarms happen more often, and they decide the no-fly zone is ridiculous, get tired of it and completely do away with it.

If I was a person working there I would just accept the tiny risk and live with it.

"Take our skies back" Dave
 
Joe Williams said:


ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!! Maybe it just comes from formerly having a job that required me to stand my ground no matter what, but American leaders crawling and panicking like this is unspeakably disgusting to me. I swear, I will vote for whoever stands their ground next time, no matter who they are. If Hillary Clinton has the balls to uphold our honor, I'll vote for her for President. I am sick of our so called "leaders" belly crawling. Sure, there is about a million to one chance they'll get killed standing their ground, but at least they'll die like Americans instead of living yellow.
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agree, agree, agree.

has anyone here ever seen the picture of the Queen Mum, the day after her HOME was bombed, picking among the rubble, carrying her purse?

they need to make more people like the Queen Mum.

edit:

quote:

1940: A German bomb hits Buckingham Palace a year after the outbreak of World War II. With London's East End already hard hit, it allows the queen to say "at least we can look the East End in the eye," a phrase that adds to her growing reputation as an incarnation of Britain's indomitable courage and
spirit of resistance.
 
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I'll give credit to CNN on their closing to the segment, "It appears to be just a stupid pilot."

The press finally got one right.
 
Ron - I hate to say this man. When I was watching the video on TV, I thought "uh oh - that kinda looks like Ron!" Based on the picture in your avatar.

Then I thought, there's no way Ron would have, even if he somehow got lost, wound up almost dead center of the ADIZ.

Thank god it's not you, Ron!
 
Capitol Police:

Plane was squawking "a proper code but it did not give authorities info to determine whether it was authorized" to be there.

Took 5-6 minutes to completely evacuate the Capitol.

Plane was "forced down" at FDK - two taken into custody.

Preliminary info that they were "not authorized to take the plane from the airport but did".

"People at Smoketown said that they were not authorized to take it."

Pilots did not change flight direction after flares were used.

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Based on that last statement, sounds like a security failure at the club. Still very 3rd hand, though.
 
From AP:

The plane belongs to Vintage Aero Club, a group of about 10 people who fly it out of Smoketown Airport in Lancaster County, said club member Merv King, a salesman from Gordonville.

A friend said the plane was scheduled to be flown by Jim Sheaffer, of Lititz, and a student pilot to an air show in Lumberton, N.C.

Former club member John E. Henderson, of Lancaster, said on Tuesday he helped Sheaffer clean the 1970 Cessna and prepare it to be flown Wednesday. Henderson said Sheaffer was expected to be accompanied by a student pilot, Troy Martin, of Akron, Pa.

"I am embarrassed and dismayed. It's awful easy for this to happen to anyone, you know what I mean? It's just a shame that it happened to this guy, because he is one swell guy," Henderson said.

Martin's mother said she saw her son on television being led away from the plane.

Henderson described Sheaffer as an experienced pilot who should have known to avoid restricted airspace.

"But obviously he didn't. Otherwise he wouldn't have been in there. I've never even considered talking to him about it," said Henderson, a retired engineer from Lancaster. Henderson said he had not spoken to Sheaffer on Wednesday.

The airplane's presence in the skies over Washington forced the evacuation of the Capitol and White House. Military jets scrambled to intercept the aircraft and fired warning flares.

Mel S. Glick, who owns the Smoketown Airport, about 60 miles west of Philadelphia, said he arrived at the airport around 1 p.m. to find state troopers there asking him about the plane. He said he didn't see it leave.
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Perhaps someone that wants the ADIZ/FRZ is bribing idiot pilots to have an incursion just to keep it alive.
 
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