Friday, May 26, 2006

2 Planes Forced To Land Near Bush Visit

Two small planes separately violated restricted airspace set up for President Bush's visit to Pennsylvania on Wednesday and were forced to land by military F-16 jets.

The small planes "left the temporary flight restricted area relatively quickly," said Michael Kucharek, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Peterson, Colo. One plane was forced to land at a Cross Keys, N.J., airport, but the destination of the other wasn't clear, Kucharek said.

After questioning the pilot in New Jersey, Secret Service agents decided not to press charges, Secret Service spokesman Jonathan Cherry said. "It appears to be inadvertent," Cherry said.

All aircraft except for regular flights were banned from the airspace in a 30-mile radius around Air Force One during Bush's visits to Philadelphia and Limerick, Pa., said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown. Pilots who violate the restriction typically have their pilot's licenses suspended for 60 to 90 days, Brown said.

The Associated Press

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