President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were briefly evacuated from their Delaware beach home after a small private plane entered restricted airspace, according to the White House and U.S. Secret Service.
There was no threat to the Bidens, who returned to their Rehoboth Beach house shortly after they were removed and precautionary measures were taken, White House officials said.
The plane “mistakenly” entered restricted airspace shortly before 1 p.m. local time Saturday afternoon and was “immediately escorted out,” according to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Gugliemi. The agency will interview the pilot, who was not on the proper radio channel and did not follow a filed Notice to Airmen as well as published flight guidance, Gugliemi said, citing a preliminary investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration earlier this week established a no-fly zone with a 10-mile radius and a 30-mile restricted area around Rehoboth Beach, a routine security measure taken when the president travels outside Washington.
Gugliemi did not specify other precautionary measures taken in response to the incident. The roar of jet engines could be heard in the area, and the main street in Rehoboth Beach was temporarily closed around 1 p.m. CBS News reported that Biden was seen in a motorcade vehicle driving to a Rehoboth beach fire station.
The group of reporters traveling with Biden were not with him during the evacuation.
Military aircraft are typically deployed to intercept planes that breach closed airspace around places where the president is staying. Pilots who violate such restrictions can be subject to criminal punishment, fines or the loss of their pilot license.
The president and first lady arrived at the beach Thursday night ahead of Jill Biden’s birthday Friday and are expected to depart Sunday.
