STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — A biplane landed at Stafford Regional Airport on Thursday afternoon escorted by a U.S. Coast Guard HH 65 Dolphin Helicopter.
Officials at NORAD, charged with watching the skies over the Nation’s Capital, said an Ultimate 200 Biplane crept into restricted airspace over Washington just after 5 p.m. Thursday. A Coast Guard helicopter was scrambled which intercepted the plane and escorted it to the airport in Stafford County, according to a NORAD press release.
Officials said the pilot was met on the tarmac by local law enforcement. NORAD did not state if charges had been filed against the pilot.
The incident comes as NORAD and the FAA for the past three days has been flying four small, radio controlled ultra light aircraft in restricted airspace over Quantico. The flights – unrelated to the incident over Washington on Thursday afternoon – are meant to assist in the calibration of flight systems and equipment and have been ongoing since Sept. 11, 2001, according to NORAD.
The flights will continue today high above the area at altitudes of 1,000 to 10,000 feet, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
