White House briefly evacuated after plane scare

WASHINGTON - Fighter jets scrambled over Washington and authorities hurriedly evacuated the White House and the US Congress today when an unidentified plane accidentally roamed into restricted airspace, sparking fears of a September 11-style attack.

The light private Cessna ignored calls from air traffic controllers and entered the restricted air zone around Washington at about 4am NZ time, coming within three miles of the White House before turning away, authorities said.

A Homeland Security Department officials said the Secret Service determined the air intrusion appeared to be accidental and no charges would be filed against the two men on board.

President Bush was on a bicycle ride at a suburban wildlife preserve at the time, but Vice President Dick Cheney was quickly evacuated, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

First lady Laura Bush and former first lady Nancy Reagan, who was visiting, were rushed to a secure location on the White House grounds, he said.

The plane's approach sent two F-16 fighter jets into the air over the US capital and thousands of staff and tourists into the streets outside the White House, Capitol building and Supreme Court in an urgent evacuation.

The two fighters, which scrambled from nearby Andrews Air Force base, intercepted the Cessna and fired four flares to get the pilot's attention before escorting the plane to nearby Frederick, Maryland, officials said. The pilot and a passenger were taken into police custody.

The US Customs service also scrambled Black Hawk helicopters during the alert, which the White House characterised as the most serious since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by hijacked airliners on New York and Washington.

A Pentagon spokesman said the jet pilots did not have automatic authority to shoot down an aircraft, and would have had to go through "a well-established" chain of command to get such permission.

An aircraft owners and pilots website said the two men on board the small plane were a flight instructor and a student pilot who was a member of the 10-person flying club that owned the plane in Smoketown, Pennsylvania.

But Capitol police took no chances. "Get out, get out," they shouted to lawmakers and staff as they moved through the building and adjacent offices, clearing the floors and galleries in both chambers.

US senators debating highway legislation dropped their papers and ran from the chamber. House of Representatives lawmakers were in the midst of a vote when the evacuation order came.

Capitol police swiftly moved senators, aides, lobbyists and journalists toward Union Station, about two blocks away. Police used bullhorns to order onlookers near the Capitol to "stay away from the building."

The incident, which briefly drove US stock prices lower, prompted the government's joint operations centre to send an "alert" to White House staff. "Do not leave building. Proceed to interior halls and lower levels. Avoid windows," the alert read.

The Secret Service and Capitol police gave the "all clear" 15 minutes after the first alert and allowed staff to return to their offices.

Pilots are not allowed to fly into airspace set up by the Federal Aviation Administration after the Sept. 11 attacks.

If warnings are ignored and the aircraft remains in restricted airspace it could be shot down. All pilots with permission to fly into or through Washington airspace -- mainly commercial flights -- must transmit special identification codes to air traffic controllers.

Since Sept. 11, various Capitol buildings have been evacuated for a range of security reasons, from fears of anthrax to bomb threats.

On June 9, 2004, the Capitol also was evacuated after a plane carrying the governor of Kentucky to former President Ronald Reagan's funeral entered the no-fly zone.

The Capitol was also partially evacuated last month when an Australian citizen stood outside the Capitol with two black suitcases and demanded to see Bush.

- REUTERS