A small plane was forced to land in Chino, California, after a pilot violated airspace restrictions in place for President Barack Obama's visit, FAA spokesperson Allen Kenitzer told CNN.
Kenitzer had no further details about the incident.
The military also intercepted a private plane Thursday morning in the vicinity of Fullerton, California, Kenitzer said. The aircraft, a Mooney M20, landed at Chino at 6:04 a.m. PDT. The FAA is investigating.
The incidents on Thursday followed a similar issue on Wednesday when a fighter jet intercepted a single-engine airplane northwest of Los Angeles for breaching a temporary airspace restriction, according to a military news release.
The temporary restriction violated by the Cessna aircraft coincided with a campaign visit to the city by Obama, who was on a one-day fundraising swing through the state.
"After intercepting the aircraft, the F-16 followed it until it landed without incident, at approximately 4:58 p.m. PDT where the plane was met by local law enforcement," according to a statement issued by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
The president spoke at a gala for the gay community in Los Angeles, on his third fundraising trip to the Golden State in the past month. Earlier in the day, he attended two campaign events in San Francisco.
NORAD's mission is to protect U.S. and Canadian airspace against possible threats and may require planes to change course or land.
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You got it right Norman, aside from the exaggeration. Good thing too since this is pretty much common knowledge and this comes up in the news just about every other year regardless of who is president.
Temporary flight restrictions are usually a 30 mile radius around the president, whereever he goes. Its alot less for the VP.
Or perhaps maybe he is the most important man in the United States that is threatened by terrorist organizations across the world. It's not terribly hard to acquire a plane let alone get it into flight. People have bodyguards for a reason. Even more so would be jets protecting the plane as even the smallest of damaged can bring it hurdling to the ground. Think next time you make dumb comments Norbozzo.
If NORAD did their job this wouldn't have happened.
False, if NORAD had NOT done their job, the plane would NOT have been intercepted.
This country is full of hopeless halfwits. I wish upon you the intelligence of one that is equal or greater than mine so maybe our country would have a chance at a future. But wishful thinking never got me anywhere so...
To those who are intelligent and have even a single ounce of grey matter I hope you continue to be intelligent and guide the country to a greater future than tomorrow's bleak outlook. So many people are blaming Obama for this insignificant happening and it is lessening their opinion of him when it clearly shouldn't matter especially when the airplane was definitely radioed a warning and was in obvious violation of the law. So back off people; go get an education that will actually help the world.
So they cleared the whole state when cowboy bush was flying and now because they don't want planes to fly in PRESIDENT OBAMA'S airspace republicans are messing their drawers. Just like em...always said stupid is as stupid does and it sure applies to them.
Understandable. There's a lot of people flying and it's easy to miss a TFR. You shouldn't, but I get how it can happen.
What nonsense. Cleared airspace is a flight decision he has nothing to do with-but of course you do not want to miss an opportunity to criticize the duly elected President as though everything that happens is his fault. How ignorant.
Norman, you clearly do not understand this. Not everything that happens involving this President is different from all prior Presidents. But you really don't care...
You really have a comprehension problem. This air space restriction is so common only a fool would not know that.
All aircraft are forbidden from such airspace as required – for *any* president.
Its been said ignorance is bliss. If true then their are millions of blissful people on the right. Can't call them conservatives. Like Barry Goldwater predicted BACK in the 1970's...the extremists and the Christian Right would destroy the Republican Party. The self-induced ignorance has to be the worse kind. Convincing themselves that every negative event (as THEY see it) has never occurred or been said or had the involvement of any recent "consevative" like protected airspace or.teleprompters or accepting social programs They never paid into..like many senior women who never worked outside the home...! Barry was so "right" in his predictions. RIP traditional conservative values and platforms.
Excuse me, folks, but there are procedures in effect here. I am a commercial pilot/flight instructor. When the president is visiting some location, a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is posted, and it is every pilot's responsibility to be aware of these. This is not some anomaly; it is standard practice, whether you're GW Bush or B Obama. Why is it that Americans can't do a little research before shooting off their uninformed mouths?
Because they are republican teabaggers and as such believe all the rules in place for the white presidents shouldn't be applied to that black guy they consider "not one of us">
That's because they "think" they are well informed and intelligent. Even when given proof, stats and facts they will still argue!
CNN really needs to write a sentence in the article that when President Obama uses AF1 to fly to a campaign fundraiser, use of it is paid for by his CAMPAIGN FUND.
So did George Bush and every other sitting President; what's your point?
Consider the humor of this story. The pilot probably wet himself when that F-16 went past.