Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is a city on the Atlantic Ocean.
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A small private plane mistakenly entered restricted airspace near the President Joe Biden’s The motel was in Delaware on Saturday, briefly prompting the president and first lady to evacuate, the White House and Secret Service said.
The White House said there was no threat to Biden or his family and that precautions were taken. After assessing the situation, Biden and his wife, Jill, returned to their home in Rehoboth Beach.
The Secret Service said in a statement that the plane was immediately escorted out of restricted airspace after “erroneously entering a secure area.” The agency said it would interview the pilot, who, according to preliminary investigations, was not on the appropriate radio channel and was not following published flight instructions.
As is standard practice for presidential visits outside of Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration announced flight restrictions earlier this week ahead of Biden’s visit to the beach town. Restrictions include a 10-mile no-fly zone along with a 30-mile no-fly zone.
A CBS News reporter said on Twitter that he saw Biden rushing to a fire station in Rehoboth Beach. The group of reporters traveling with the president was not part of the motorcade.
Federal regulations require pilots to check flight restrictions along their route before takeoff. However, random airspace violations, especially around temporary restricted areas, are still common.
Military jets and U.S. Coast Guard helicopters are commonly used to intercept any aircraft that violates flight restrictions around the president. The intercepted planes are redirected to a nearby airport, where the crews are interviewed by law enforcement and may face criminal or civil penalties.
