WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A small aircraft wandered
into the airspace of Camp David, Maryland, while President
Barack Obama was there Saturday, and was intercepted by two
F-15 fighter jets patrolling in the area, authorities said.
The Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft had filed a flight plan but
was not in radio contact and got within 11 miles of the
presidential retreat.
"Out of an abundance of caution, they decided to intercept
him," said Stacey Knott, spokeswoman for North American
Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.
The two F-15 jets guided the plane to a landing at nearby
Hagerstown, Maryland.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters
described the incident as a "pilot deviation," but no other
details were given of why the pilot was out of radio contact.
The identity of the pilot was not disclosed.
Camp David has been a presidential weekend and holiday
retreat in the nearby Maryland mountains for decades. Obama
rarely goes there but flew up from Washington this weekend.
(Writing by Greg McCune; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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