FILE: 2 U.S. Air Fore F-15s broke the speed of sound to intercept an unresponsive plane flying near West Palm Beach, Fla., during a President Trump stay. (Reuters)
Two F-15s caused a ‘sonic boom’ as they raced from their base in Homestead, Fla., Friday to intercept an unresponsive general aviation aircraft that flew near Palm Beach during a stay by President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
The jets flew at supersonic speeds and residents were startled by the loud boom, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD, said in a statement. The two fighters were able to establish communication with the aircraft. This incident occured at about 7 p.m. ET. No further details were immediately available.
"The intent of military intercepts is to have the identified aircraft re-establish communications with local FAA air traffic controllers and instruct the pilot to follow air traffic controllers' instructions to land safely for follow-on action," the statement read.
TRUMP HINTS AT 'BIG ORDER' OF F/A-18 SUPER HORNETS
Earlier this month, a private plane got within 2 nautical miles of Air Force One, which is closer than permitted, while flying over Florida and the incident is being investigated by authorities, Bloomberg reported.
The planes were flying on a parallel route and there was no risk of a collision during the incident, which occurred 30 miles out on Feb. 3, sources told the news agency. President Trump arrived safely at Palm Beach International Airport.
The report said that when Air Force One is in flight, Secret Service agents work with FAA supervisors and monitor for threats.
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