Plane Looses Communications, Turned Back Towards US Border

There were some tense moments onboard a Cessna 172 Wednesday... and not just because the plane was experiencing engine and communications problems. US Air Force F-16s were scrambled to intercept the plane, when it turned around in Mexican airspace and began heading towards the US border.

The Associated Press reports US Customs and Border Protection radar operators tracked the aircraft Wednesday afternoon, as it flew south over Mexican airspace. When the plane turned back towards the border -- with no communications from the aircraft -- it became, in the words of CBP spokesman Juan Munoz Torres, "a national security incident."

And in this day and age -- especially in the wake of failed terrorist attacks in Britain last week -- that means F-16s.

Unable to communicate via radio with the Skyhawk, the military pilots flew alongside the stricken aircraft, and used hand gestures to direct the pilot to land at an Oceanside, CA airport. There, the plane was met by local police, San Diego sheriff's deputies, and customs and border patrol agents. They even had a drug-sniffing dog with them.

The three men onboard the Cessna -- who said they were heading to Baja California for a surfing trip -- told authorities the plane was experiencing engine and radio problems, which prompted them to turn around and head back for the States.

Once officials had confirmed their story, the men were sent on their way.

FMI: www.cbp.gov