Air Force F-16 fighter jets intercepted multiple civilian aircraft last weekend after they violated restricted airspace near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed that incidents occurred on both Saturday and Sunday, with flares deployed in two of the interceptions to get the pilots’ attention.
Between March 1 and March 9, NORAD reported five airspace violations near the estate.
TFR Violations Increasing Around Presidential Airspace
Since Trump’s inauguration, NORAD has handled over 20 airspace violations around Mar-a-Lago, largely due to civilian pilots not following FAA-issued Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs). These notices are part of the Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) in place whenever the president is present.
Gen. Gregory Guillot, NORAD Commander, stressed that compliance with TFRs is mandatory.
“Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President,” said Guillot.
He added that the high number of violations suggests that many pilots are skipping critical FAA updates before flights.
NORAD Responds with Flares and Radio Intercepts
In two cases over the past weekend, F-16 jets deployed flares to alert the civilian pilots, a tactic used when radio communication fails or the pilots are unresponsive.
Guillot explained that pilots who realize they’ve been intercepted should:
- Tune into 121.5 or 243.0 MHz radio frequencies
- Reverse their course immediately
- Wait for further instructions from air traffic or military officials
These frequencies are the standard emergency channels for aviation communications.
Retired Colonel: “It’s Become Unusually Common”
Retired Air Force Colonel J.F. Joseph called the spike in TFR violations “unusual,” pointing out that even student pilots are trained early on to avoid restricted airspace.
“It’s become somewhat vogue that these occurrences are happening with this frequency,” Joseph said.
The statement highlights growing concern within the aviation community over what many believe should be easily avoidable incidents.
Past Interceptions Have Caused Public Reaction
This isn’t the first time NORAD had to respond near Mar-a-Lago. In February 2017, F-15 jets were scrambled at supersonic speeds to intercept an unresponsive aircraft in the same area. The resulting sonic boom led to numerous noise complaints from local residents.