Pilot Detained After Veering Near Bush Motorcade (details)

Reuters ^ | July 24, 2003 | Reuters

[FairOpinion]

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A man piloting a small plane that veered too close to President Bush's motorcade on Thursday was detained by federal agents after F-16 fighters and a police helicopter forced him to land, officials said. The pilot, who was patrolling oil pipelines in a single-engine Cessna at altitudes too low to be sighted by radar, entered a 30-mile no-fly zone and flew along Bush's motorcade route as the president was traveling from a speaking event in Philadelphia, officials said.

The pilot was identified only as an employee of Underwood Aerial Patrol of Ohio.

"He was unaware that there was a temporary flight restriction in effect. There was no threat. There was no malice," said James Borasi, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service's Philadelphia field office.

The incident, which occurred shortly after noon EDT, triggered a scramble of F-16 fighters, which forced the pilot down at Camden County Airport in Berlin, New Jersey, with help from a police helicopter, airport officials said.

About 30 police officers, with their guns drawn, waited as the Cessna taxied to a stop and then ordered the pilot to lie down on the tarmac.

"They handcuffed him and whisked him out of here," said Karl Kleinberg, the airport's owner.

Four hours after the incident, the pilot was still being detained as a suburban New Jersey police station.

[FairOpinion]

Some news reports say he flew RIGHT OVER Bush's motorcade:

"The single-engine plane flew just 100 metres above the 50-car motorcade as it was travelling along a major road in Philadelphia."

From SkyNews.
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-12384453,00.html

Other reports say he flew over the route, but not actually over the motorcade.

And another said that tower tried to contact him and got no answer.
"After the control tower tried unsuccessfully to contact the pilot, two military helicopters and an F-16 escorted the plane to the Camden County Airport in New Jersey, said Holly Baker, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. "

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--bush-plane0724jul24,0,1616658.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

My opinion based on what I read is that he did fly over the motorcade, but then the news try to play that down for security reasons, not to give people ideas, how easy it was to get that far.

[Monty22]

Sorry for the confusion, I meant 5000 feet range, not 30000

[FairOpinion]

I've read in open literature about studies which took all the winds and everything else into effect, which showed that anthrax released from a plane could impact a very large area -- same with other chemical or biological weapons.

Or what's to stop the guy from just dropping a bomb or just crashing into the motorcade, remember, these terrorists don't care if they die in the commission of their terrorist acts.

[Atchafalaya]

I wonder if the 16's "thumped" him; if so how hard?? May we have your ATTENTION!!!!

[FairOpinion]

It is amazing how many people don't realize the seriousness of the danger.

Why do people think Atta was trying to buy cropduster planes?!

[MoodyBlu]

I am an air traffic controller at the PHL airport and although I was not at work until the incident was over, I know the details.

The pipeline patrol is a common operation around PHL due to all of the energy production in and around Philly. The pilots flying these routes generally remain outside or below the Class B airspace, operating quite low to inspect mostly natural gas lines.

Yes, there was a 30 mile TFR in effect for Bush's visit today but unless you have the up to date NOTAMS, you would not know. Trust me, this was just an uninformed pilot who damn near got his butt shot out of the sky because he happened to be doing his patrol when the president was returning to the airport for departure.

A controller in the Tower observed the VFR target, alerted security personnel, at which time a police helicopter got on the Cessna's rear. Subsequently the pilot called PHL Tower to find out why he was being chased and got the shock of his life. He'll have stories to tell for quite awhile.

[JRandomFreeper]

I wonder if the 16's "thumped" him;

I did my initial training very near an MOA in New Mexico. Not only did I learn first-hand about density altitude, I also learned that F-15 pilots have a wicked sense of humor.

"Look for traffic" from the IP didn't mean look for the random overloaded Cherokee 180 wobbling off the end of over a mile of runway. It also meant look for a speck on the horizon that doesn't move, but may get larger.

/john

[AnAmericanMother]

Atlanta is a crossroads for numerous major pipelines coming up from the Gulf, two of them within 2 miles of our house. We have periodic fusses in this neck of the woods when the pampered suburbanites get torqued about the pipeline companies coming through with bush-hogs and clearing trees and underbrush for aerial inspections.

Never mind that there's no way to inspect thousands of miles of pipeline from the ground, or that the pampered suburbanites, their trees and shrubs, and their McMansions and Porsches might well go up in a big smoky fireball without regular inspections . . .

[_Jim]

what's to stop the guy from just dropping a bomb or just crashing into the motorcade

I think this was a pretty freak event ... this pilot may have also been known to the parties involved (the local FAA control towers) SO there wasn't a terrible lot of concern BUT enough to follow through and force him down. There is also the aspect of RADAR coverage in that area - HE MAY have been assigned a transponder code, was known, but NOT monitoring a radio on the tower's frequency and then proceeded to stray into the temporarily restricted airspace ...

All you people who envision barrels of Anthrax being released from a small aircraft DON'T have any idea of the preocedures that would be necessary to complete the process from start to finish from a) 'brewing' that much Anthrax succesfully without accidently killing off a neighborhood (THEREBY alerting authorities) through to b) successful loading and distribution of said Anthrax aerially.

9/11 worked largely because everybody at the time a) didn't know what to look for in the way of suspects b) were severly hampered by 'PC' conventions. Witness the number of disparate, spread-out clues the FBI had in variuous field personnel hands ...

Today, much more in the way of the public's eyes area at work noting suspicious activity AS ARE businesses that sell all manner of chemicals and equipment that have possible destructive uses.

Don't make the same mistake that ALL conspiracy theorists make - assuming that actions take place in a vacuum w/o records, w/o eyeballs or w/o human ears picking up some clue as to an illicit intent on behalf of a terrorist *or* his purchase/acquistion of material needed for the crime.

[AnAmericanMother]

Figured that's what happened. I used to work for Plantation Pipe Line Company. The patrol pilots are the closest thing we have to the old bush pilots around here -- I can see how one would shift his cigar from one side of his mouth to the other and think "what the #$%^)(*^%&() do I need with NOTAMS?" ;-)

[Fred Mertz]

About 30 police officers, with their guns drawn, waited as the Cessna taxied to a stop and then ordered the pilot to lie down on the tarmac.

My heroes!

[gatorbait]

He flies pipelines. He takes off VFR and doesn't talk to anyone on the radio unless he's entering controlled airspace. He also flies as low as necessary to see the pipeline. It's a segment of flying that is uncontrolled ( no flight plan ) and uniquely American.


Not since 2 years back, Pipeline pilots are required to file a flight plan, get a squawk code and remain in positive control. Sounds like this guy never called FSS , did not bother to comply with the rules and will be skinned for it.Good, one less hazard to air navigation.

[Mulder]

Let's just get it over with and put up a 5000 mile protection zone around our Holy Leaders.

[FairOpinion]

There is no need to go from one exteme to the other, and putting up security zones, especially in view of 9-11 is only prudent, in fact, it's essential.

[Fred Mertz]

The airlines are suffering enuff, Mulder.

[Mulder]

The airlines are suffering enuff, Mulder.

Easy... just borrow some more money and give them more subsidies. 500 billion, 600 billion... is anyone counting the deficit anymore?

[Palladin]

Cheese and crackers! I bet that poor pilot needed a change of underwear!

[FourPeas]

Yes, indeed, NOTAMS are your friend.

[autoresponder]

We all know terrorists have decided and proven that civilian aircraft can be massively destructive and kill large numbers of innocent people.

The Pennsylvania crashed plane was headed for the White House most likely.

Aircraft is a quick and cost efficient method of terrorist's hitting prime targets.

We had that nutcase Islamic kid successfully hitting a buiding in Tampa right near an AFB but with not enough fuel load or explosives.

We had two jerks from Florida buzzing a New Jersey beach at low level.

We have had several small aircraft willfully and knowingly invade WH airspace in DC.

Now we have this small private plane, flying without a flight plan and under radar encroaching on the President's security perimeter.

It easily could have been a terrorist with an explosive payload that would have taken him out.

I doubt that the Secret Service has Stingers with them.

A small private aircraft at that close proximity could also have carried several air to ground missiles.

Who would take effectively taken Bush's place and have our nation and security not weakened and threatened?

Ignorance of the law or of the circumstances is no excuse.

When it comes to the life of some gas pipe inspector or the President of the United States in time of war, there is no argument.

Inspector is toast. Period.

If aircraft do not file flight plans, have transponders, and/or maintain radio contact things are completely uncontrollable and things must and will change.

It is all well and good for all to wail about loss of freedoms and decry restrictions on small private aircraft, but that is self-serving hogwash.

None complaining have a solution to this problem or could replace our President.

Evidently the seriousness of this has not trickled down to the small private aircraft owners and pilots.

In these cases, it is clear; you are expendable if you willfully or unknowingly intrude upon critical national security.

it is all very nice to flit about the skies freely without any rules or consequences.

But the rules changed on 911.

You cannot be a "special class" of citizen.

You are in the unrestricted wondering aircraft classification of the crop duster, the jerk kid in Tampa.

You are a flying missle.

If you do not guide yourself someone else will.

Or they will shoot you down.

You do not have the juice or the argument to stop it.

Case closed.

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