PALM BEACH, Florida – F-16 fighter jets scrambled Saturday near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home after multiple aircraft violated restricted airspace in a short time span, sparking an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service.
“NORAD F-16s intercepted 3 civilian aircraft violating airspace restrictions over Palm Beach, FL today,” the North American Aerospace Defense Command said on X.
“Flares were deployed during two intercepts. All aircraft were safely escorted out of the area. Reminder: Always check FAA NOTAMs!”
A “NOTAM” is a notice to airmen.
The violations occurred within a short period of time, with the3 first at 11:05 a.m., the second at 12:10 p.m., and the third at 12:50 p.m.
Can someone explain how this happens THREE TIMES in less than 2 hours? pic.twitter.com/WdwgZa5q50
— Miss DisMal Information (@bitchfork) March 1, 2025
Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command, stated: “NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR).
“Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flights safety, national security, and the security of the president.
“The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, before each flight as required by the FAA, and has resulted in numerous responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR.”
https://t.co/wErYbNKM9W pic.twitter.com/stYb3otk69
— North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) March 2, 2025
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, told Susan Crabtree of Real Clear Politics: “The interdiction was conducted according to established NORAD protocols,” and referred to NORAD for further questions about their protocols.
“Initial reports indicate the civilian aircraft inadvertently entered the restricted airspace over Palm Beach. Our protective intelligence teams are investigating further. Pilots are reminded to consult the FAA’s Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) before all flights.
The Secret Service is investigating what appears to be an inadvertent breach of restricted air space Saturday over Palm Beach – and Mar-a-Lago – that caused US military to scramble jets to escort multiple civilian aircraft out of the restricted zone.
USSS spokesman Anthony… https://t.co/NgTDxuKCWZ
— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) March 2, 2025
Some online reaction includes:
“I think FAA ignored the restriction, hoping for an innocent civilian flight to be shot down to try to hurt Trump’s numbers. One is an oops. Twice is coincidence. Three and over is purposeful.”
“Take away their licenses and charge the pilots the costs of the intercepts. I am sure the all up hourly costs of an F-16 is not cheap.”
“USSS and FAA, please look very carefully at the pilot(s). ALL pilots know to check TFRs. One pilot, ok; 2 pilots, maybe; 3 pilots, suspicious.”
“‘Inadvertently’??? Three times???? Please, stop the insanity. I have no confidence in this SS ‘spokesman’! Three times is NOT a mistake!!!!”
“One I can see being accidental, two maybe just an idiot but three is intentional. The third guy is lucky he didn’t get blown out of the sky.”
“By all rights, he should have been shot down! 3 times in a short span of time? That’s deliberate and a threat to the POTUS and his family.”
Just last month, another three violations of airspace took place while President Trump was staying at the so-called “Winter White House” at Mar-a-Lago.
The Palm Beach Post reported: “A spokesperson for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, confirmed Wednesday that there were three airspace violations of the imposed presidential protected space during Trump’s six-day visit to Mar-a-Lago, his mansion in Palm Beach. Two occurred on Feb. 15 and one on Presidents Day, Feb. 17.”
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