F-16 jets scrambled, flares deployed to intercept planes flying near Mar-a-Lago, NORAD says

The U.S. military scrambled fighter jets Saturday to intercept three civilian planes flying near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). All three aircraft had violated temporary flight restrictions in the area, the command said.

Each civilian plane violated the same flight restriction zone, at approximately 11:05 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 12:50 p.m. EST, respectively. NORAD said F-16 jets safely escorted each aircraft out of the restricted airspace, and used flares during two of those instances to either “draw attention from or communicate with the pilot.” 

NORAD urged aircrews to check Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, from the Federal Aviation Administration before flying, “especially in the Mar-a-Lago region.” The FAA uses NOTAMs to inform pilots of temporary flight restrictions, which prohibit aircraft from entering certain airspaces for set periods of time. Restrictions are issued “for safety or security purposes,” including for natural disasters, some major sporting events and emergency or national security situations, the FAA says.

“NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR),” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command, in a statement about the restrictions. “Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President.”

Guillot said an “excessive number” of temporary flight restrictions have been violated recently and suggested civilian pilots “are not reading Notice to Airmen” before taking flight. That “has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR,” according to the NORAD commander.

In 2017, during Mr. Trump’s first term as president, two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an unresponsive aircraft near Mar-a-Lago and officials said the incident created a “sonic boom” that alarmed nearby residents.