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A fighter jet used a “headbutt maneuver” to intercept a civilian plane that had entered restricted airspace near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, U.S. military officials said. Mr. Trump was in West Palm Beach that day to vote in Florida’s midterm election.
The interception took place at around 12:20 p.m. ET, when an F-16 deployed by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, flew closely in front of the plane in order to gain the pilot’s attention, NORAD said. That tactic, called the “headbutt maneuver,” is considered standard, according to the command.
In this case, the maneuver allowed the military jet to establish communication with the pilot, who proceeded to safely steer the plane out of restricted airspace, in compliance with flight instructions, NORAD said. The plane had violated a Temporary Flight Restriction, or TFR, enacted over the area, which means its pilot could “also be met by federal authorities upon landing and subject to enforcement action,” the command said.
The Federal Aviation Administration issues TFRs for a variety of reasons, often linked to large sporting events, extreme weather scenarios, political rallies or any number of other engagements attended by high-profile political figures, especially the president. The FAA transmits the latest information about such restrictions to pilots through Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs. Pilots are encouraged to keep tabs on those regularly.
Mr. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were seen at a West Palm Beach polling station on Saturday afternoon, where the president cast an early ballot ahead of next week’s midterm elections. Asked whether he voted along party lines, Mr. Trump said: “Very much so.” He went on to travel to Georgia for a campaign rally.
His appearances at midterm campaign rallies around the country have triggered various temporary flight restrictions in recent weeks. Earlier this month, NORAD reported that its F-16s intercepted a plane that had entered restricted airspace over Clemson, South Carolina, where Mr. Trump held a rally to support Darline Graham’s Senate campaign. Just days before that, the command said a similar interception took place over Cincinnati, Ohio, near the site of another rally that the president attended.