Lost Pilot Lands Copter At Air Force One Base

IOL ^ | 1-19-2003

[blam]

Lost pilot lands copter at Air Force One base

January 19 2003 at 11:43AM

Washington - An unidentified Swiss national on Saturday landed his helicopter at Andrews Air Force Base, the home of the presidential Air Force One jet outside Washington, after becoming lost, the Air Force said.

The pilot, who had a Swiss passport and identification with him, apparently became lost while trying to land at Indian Head airport, which is several kilometres from Andrews, according to the 89th Airlift Wing of the Air Force.

It said the FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations were called in to assist with an investigation of the incident, which occurred around 5pm EST (22h00 GMT) on a day of clear blue skies in the Washington area.

The pilot and his aircraft remained at Andrews, pending the investigation, the Air Force said.

President George W Bush was not expected to use Air Force One President George W Bush was not expected to use Air Force One on Saturday as he was spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, a destination he typically reaches from the White House by helicopter.

Aviation authorities and the US military set up restricted flight zones over parts of Washington, New York and other areas after the September 11 attacks in which hijackers crashed airliners into buildings.

The Swiss pilot is not the first to stray into restricted airspace around Washington and Camp David since September 11.

In July, US military jets were twice scrambled after three small planes intruded into restricted airspace around Camp David, although none of those planes landed there.

The White House was briefly evacuated in June after a private Cessna came within 6km of the White House and air traffic controllers were unable to contact its pilot.

In most cases, such pilots are released after questioning, and they are referred to aviation authorities for possible administrative action for not following flight procedures.

An Andrews spokesperson could not say if military jets were scrambled in response to Saturday's incident.

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[guitfiddlist]

My brother, who was an Air Force F-111 WSO, told me when he was taking flight lessons at a private flying club co-located on a Korean US air base (whose members were all Air Force guys), about an emergency landing of a friend of his on an active military runway. He said a "Follow Me" truck came out (a blue Chevy pickup with a "Follow Me" sign on the back), and casually taxi'ed his Cessna back to a hangar area, where they politely drug him out, threw him on the ground and pointed M-16's at his head.

The funny part is that everybody probably knew everybody in the whole scene. But procedures are procedures.

[JRandomFreeper]

where they politely drug him out, threw him on the ground and pointed M-16's at his head.

Don't leave your line badge on your field jacket if you take off your field jacket. Concrete in the face is cold and rough.

/john

[ASA Vet]

But procedures are procedures

They certainly are.
I've seen a 1 star General placed at gun point up against a wall,
because he thought he could demand access to a unit to which he had none.
The General got the message, and left.

Yes, the E-4 MP would have shot him. Nothing happened to the MP.