U.S. Capitol, White House evacuated after another small plane scare

WASHINGTON— Police briefly ordered evacuation of the U.S. Capitol and the White House after a private plane ventured into restricted airspace Wednesday evening.

The all-clear came within minutes— well before the White House was fully evacuated.

A private turboprop entered restricted airspace northeast of Reagan National Airport, according to a federal aviation official. Jets scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base and intercepted the plane eight miles northeast of the Capitol. As of 6:45 p.m. EST, the fighters escorted the plane to Winchester, Va., where it landed without incident.

An aircraft could be heard overhead at the Capitol, in an area customarily closed to aircraft.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Capitol Police notified senators’ offices: "This is an emergency message ... Capitol Police are tracking unidentified aircraft."

The House and Senate were both voting when the alarm sounded. In a virtual replay of a scare earlier this summer, members of Congress, staff, visitors and others were told to leave the building quickly.

Security officials evacuated people from the West Wing of the White House, but within minutes, officers said that the threat was over. Agents ran out of the gate from the White House compound onto Pennsylvania Avenue and began clearing pedestrians from the street. At first, officers did not seem hurried, and pedestrians were walking casually. "It’s in your best interest to hurry along," an agent said.

Top White House officials were hurried from their offices in the West Wing to the residence where there is a bombproof bunker.

The scare lasted about 10 minutes at the White House before officers gave the all-clear and Pennsylvania Avenue was reopened.

The offending plane was a King Air 350, a twin-engine, propeller-driven aircraft, said Michael D. Kucharek, a spokesman for North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado.

After it was detected, two Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and intercepted the plane, Kucharek said.

The pilot was responding to their signals, Kucharek said.

The fighters "got the pilot’s attention pretty quick," Kucharek said. Because of that, the fighters did not need to drop flares, and the laser warning system was not employed.

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