F-15s scramble to intercept unresponsive aircraft over restricted airspace over West Palm Beach
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Two F-15s caused a ‘sonic boom’ as they raced from their base in Homestead, Fla., Friday to intercept an unresponsive general aviation aircraft that flew near Palm Beach during a stay by President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
The jets flew at supersonic speeds and residents were startled by the loud boom, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, said in a statement. The two fighters were able to establish communication with the aircraft. This incident occured at about 7 p.m. ET. No further details were immediately available.
"The intent of military intercepts is to have the identified aircraft re-establish communications with local FAA air traffic controllers and instruct the pilot to follow air traffic controllers' instructions to land safely for follow-on action," the statement read.
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TRUMP HINTS AT 'BIG ORDER' OF F/A-18 SUPER HORNETS
Earlier this month, a private plane got within 2 nautical miles of Air Force One, which is closer than permitted, while flying over Florida and the incident is being investigated by authorities, Bloomberg reported.
The planes were flying on a parallel route and there was no risk of a collision during the incident, which occurred 30 miles out on Feb. 3, sources told the news agency. President Trump arrived safely at Palm Beach International Airport.
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The report said that when Air Force One is in flight, Secret Service agents work with FAA supervisors and monitor for threats.