A small private plane mistakenly entered restricted airspace near President Joe Biden'sBiden's Delaware vacation home Saturday, prompting the brief evacuation of the president and first lady, the White House and the Secret Service said.
The White House said there was no threat to Biden or his family and precautionary measures were taken. After the situation was assessed, Biden and his wife Jill returned to their Rehoboth Beach home.
The Secret Service said in a statement that the plane was immediately escorted from the restricted airspace after mistakenly entering a secured area. According to a preliminary investigation, the agency said it would interview the pilot who was not on the proper radio channel and was not following published flight guidance.
The Federal Aviation Administration has put in place flight restrictions earlier this week before Biden's beach town visit, as standard practice for presidential trips outside Washington. There are restrictions on a 10 mile radius no-fly zone and a 30 mile restricted zone.
The group of reporters that travels with the president was not part of the motorcade.
Before taking off, federal regulations require pilots to check for restrictions along their route. Accidental airspace breaches, particularly around temporary restricted zones, are common.
U.S. military jets and Coast Guard helicopters are often used to intercept any planes that don't conform to the flight restrictions around the president. Intercepted planes are diverted to a nearby airfield where aircrews are interviewed by law enforcement and face potential criminal or civil penalties.