WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Military fighter jets were scrambled over Palm Beach Sunday after a civilian aircraft breached restricted airspace near Mar-a-Lago, sparking a wave of social media speculation.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command confirmed that F-16 fighter aircraft intercepted a general aviation plane that entered a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) zone around 1:15 p.m.
The interception comes after the October decision to impose a 24/7, year-round flight restriction around Mar-a-Lago.
Clearing Up the “Drone” Rumors
The incident gained immediate traction online after a video from a Delta Air Lines flight began circulating on social media. In the footage, a pilot is heard informing passengers of a “ground stop” due to a potential security breach, mentioning rumors of a drone near the airport.
“They’re not sure what it was, but apparently there was a drone that came in too close to the airport,” the pilot said over the intercom. “They had to scramble some helicopters to go and investigate that.”
However, officials have since clarified that while law enforcement did investigate, the “drone scare” was a case of mistaken identity. NORAD says the primary security trigger was a civilian pilot in a standard aircraft who had inadvertently wandered into the TFR and was not responding to radio calls. It was intercepted around 1:15 p.m., around the time the pilot alleged the plane was grounded due to a drone.
Flares Deployed Over Palm Beach
To gain the unresponsive pilot’s attention, the F-16s deployed signal flares—a standard procedure that was visible to many residents on the ground.
“The flares were used to draw attention from or communicate with the pilot,” NORAD said in a statement. “Flares are employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground.”
The civilian aircraft was safely escorted out of the restricted area once communication was re-established.
Presidential Security and Airport Delays
President Trump was at his West Palm Beach golf club at the time of the breach and was never in any danger, according to White House pool reporters. Air Force One remained secure on the tarmac at PBI throughout the event.
The FAA reported departure delays of approximately one hour at PBI on Sunday afternoon. While the timing coincided with the intercept, the FAA officially attributed the backlog to “volume” rather than the security incident.
