Pilot who flew near White House loses license

WASHINGTON - United States authorities revoked the license of a pilot whose small plane flew over Washington this month and triggered a security scare that emptied the White House, Capitol and Supreme Court, officials said.

Promising tough action in response to the May 11 incident, the Federal Aviation Administration yanked Hayden "Jim" Sheaffer's license for one year. The action was taken on Friday night but not announced until Monday.

Sheaffer, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, can appeal to transportation safety officials or he can wait for a year and apply for a new license. Troy Martin, a student pilot at the controls of the Cessna 150 turboprop, was not disciplined.

It was only the second license revocation in the past year for Washington, DC, airspace violations, which occur twice a day on average, the FAA said. Other pilots have had their licenses suspended for shorter periods.

But the FAA said pre-flight and in-flight actions by Sheaffer, who was in charge of the plane, "severely compromised safety and security".

Regulators alleged Sheaffer did not properly familiarise himself with all of the flight rules for operating near the US capital and made numerous technical and judgment errors during the excursion into prohibited airspace.

At one point, the plane flew over the city. Authorities evacuated the White House, the Capitol complex and the Supreme Court. Homeland security and military aircraft were scrambled to intercept the small plane and force it to land in Maryland.

The FAA said in its order that Sheaffer prepared an incorrect flight plan, used outdated information on airspace restrictions, became lost soon after takeoff from Smoketown, Pennsylvania, and failed to maintain required communication with air traffic controllers.

Regulators also said Sheaffer should have taken over flying from Martin in the dual-control cockpit, but never did.

Sheaffer and Martin were headed from central Pennsylvania to North Carolina.

- REUTERS