An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | April 7, 2009

Air Guard fighters intercept suspicious aircraft

By Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va. - Air National Guard fighter aircraft from two states intercepted a suspicious aircraft as it flew into U.S. airspace on Monday afternoon.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) directed F16C's assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing (FW) in Duluth, Minn., to initially intercept the plane near Michigan's Upper Peninsula before handing off the mission to F-16s assigned to 115th FW of Madison, Wis.

Pilots attempted to notify the pilot to establish communications with local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers and land safety for further follow-on action, according to a news release from the Wisconsin National Guard.

The Cessna pilot acknowledged the fighters but was unresponsive to specific non-verbal commands, according to a NORAD press release.

Mike Kucharek, a NORAD spokesman, said the Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft was reported as stolen from an aviation school in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, and departed without Navigation Canada authority.

The pilot was flying erratically and did not communicate with fighter pilots, he told national news agencies.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft intercepted the Cessna as well, but the F-16s followed the aircraft until it landed in an area 23 miles northwest of Popular Bluff, Mo., at 9:45 p.m., EDT.

The Wisconsin fighters were about to hand the mission over to aircraft from the 159th FW of the Louisiana Air National Guard when the Cessna ran out of gas over southern Missouri. The aircraft landed on Highway 60 near Ellsinore, Mo., and was apprehended by local authorities.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, the adjutant general of the Wisconsin National Guard and the homeland security advisor to the state, ordered the evacuation of the Capitol building in Madison as a precautionary measure, according to a press release from the state. At 5:45 p.m., the evacuation was terminated based on the aircraft's proximity to the Capitol and workers were allowed to return to the building.

 

 

Related Articles
Group photo for the Information Operations Subject Matter Exchange during the opening ceremony of Tiger Balm 2025 on May 5 2025 at Mandai Hill, Singapore.
Washington Guard, Singapore Team Up for Tiger Balm 2025
By Joseph Siemandel, | May 30, 2025
SINGAPORE – Washington Army National Guardsmen traveled to Mandai Hill, Singapore, this month to participate in exercise Tiger Balm 2025. It was the 44th iteration of the bilateral exercise between the Singapore Army Forces...

Soldiers from the 138th Operational Fires Command integrate with 41st Field Artillery Brigade and U.S. Army V Corps during Command Post Exercise hosted in both Fort Knox, Kentucky, and Camp Kosciusko, Poland, early May 2025.
Kentucky Army Guard Completes Exercise with V Corps
By Capt. Cody Stagner, | May 30, 2025
POZNAN, Poland — Soldiers from the 138th Operational Fires Command (OFC), Kentucky Army National Guard, recently participated in a corps-level Command Post Exercise (CPX) with U.S. Army V Corps, held in early May at both Fort...

U.S. Air Force Capt. Isaac Tian, a cyber operations officer with the 262nd Cyber Operations Squadron, Washington Air National Guard, analyzes data for evidence of adversary indicators of compromise on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., April 6, 2025. Tian is among the first Air National Guard members to be selected under a newly established direct commission program for cyber professionals.
Washington Airman Selected for Direct Commission in Cyber
By Airman 1st Class Jordaan Kvale, | May 30, 2025
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Washington – Capt. Isaac Tian, a cyber operations officer with the 262nd Cyber Operations Squadron, is among the first Air National Guard members selected under a newly established direct commission...