More from the "we sure didn't need this" department...

Shortly after 1100 Monday morning, a lone Mooney M20E allegedly strayed into the Washington ADIZ, causing a pretty extensive security alert -- including the launching of two F-16s and a bit of excitement at the White House... even though the President was away.

NORAD's MSgt Gary Carpenter spoke to ANN a few moments ago and reported that two F-16s were dispatched from Andrews AFB to intercept the Mooney. The intercept proceeded well, and the pilot complied with the instructions given to him and was escorted from the airspace. "The aircraft was not a threat, and once out of the airspace, he was allowed to continue south."

Upon leaving the airspace, the aircraft originally bound for Jacksonville, FL, was allowed to continue to a fuel stop in SC and was shadowed by a Customs aircraft for part (if not all) of the route. White House officials note that both President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were NOT at the White House at the time, but that Vice President Cheney was. As a result of this incursion, Vice President Dick Cheney and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card were moved temporarily to a secure location until the situation was judged to be non-threatening.

FAA Sources had limited information when we talked to them, but all concerned seemed to understand that this appeared to be an accidental violation of the ADIZ. According to the FAA's Bill Shumann, both the ADIZ and a Restricted Area were violated.

The massive and intricate Washington ADIZ, often a source of concern to both Private and Commercial pilots, is under increasing fire for being increasingly hard to navigate as well as the fact that the tolerances involved in getting around certain areas of the ADIZ leave little room for error... especially when the weather is less than decent VFR.

The pilot is expected to be interviewed and interrogated about the incident in SC, if not in JAX. Possible enforcement actions may be taken by the FAA against his certificate, depending on the circumstances involved. More info to follow...

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.whitehouse.gov