A Different Pilot Was Flying, But The Result Was The Same

Back in 2005, a Cessna 150 (N5826G) made an unintentional incursion into the prohibited airspace over Washington, CD, causing partial evacuations of the White House, the U.S. Capital Building, and The Surpeme Court.

Iiiiiiiits Baaaaaaaack ... but this time with a different pilot at the controls.

On Tuesday, a student pilot flying the same airplane got within 10 miles of Regan National Airport before being intercepted by two Coast Guard helicopters and escorted to Gaithersburg, MD, where he landed without incident.

CNN reports the airplane is owned by Vintage Aero Club, based in Smoketown, Pennsylvania, which lists 10 members. Club member John Henderson told the network the plane was checked out by a student cleared for solo cross country on Tuesday.

Cessna 150 File Photo

FAA spokesman Paul Takemoto said the pilot had been interviewed by law enforcement officers and the U.S. Secret Service. They determined that he had gotten lost in the clouds on his first solo XC flight.  What he was doing in the clouds is another issue entirely, but it's certainly a flight that he'll never forget, and a story he'll tell as long as people are willing to listen.

FMI: www.faa.gov