A small plane violated restricted air space around Washington today, causing a brief security alert at the White House before military jets intercepted it and steered it away, the US Secret Service said.
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush were not present during the scare, which prompted armed guards to take up positions on the White House lawn.
Vice President Mr Dick Cheney and White House chief of staff Andrew Card were moved temporarily to a secure location as a precaution, White House spokesman Mr Scott McClellan said. Secret Service spokesman Mr Tom Mazur told reporters the plane violated restricted air space around 11.15 a.m. and was diverted by military fighter jets scrambled to respond to the security breach.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a single-engine, four-seat Mooney 20. The FAA referred additional questions to the Secret Service.
There are two flight security rings around Washington that were imposed after the September 11th, 2001, hijack attacks on New York and Washington.
The first permits small aircraft to fly within 23 miles (37 km) of the capital if the pilot has prior approval from air traffic controllers and if the aircraft is equipped with updated electronic identification equipment.
The second zone prohibits any aircraft from within a 17-mile (27-km) radius of downtown Washington unless it is a scheduled airline service or a military, law enforcement or pre-approved medical flight.
Today's incident, government sources said the private plane flying from north to south was identified immediately after violating the outer restricted area.