Military aircraft chase planes that strayed in D.C. airspace

Military aircraft chased after two civilian aircraft Saturday morning that strayed into closely watched airspace in Washington D.C.

The first incident in the airspace called the National Capital Region happened about 7:45 a.m. (MDT) when a civilian pilot was out of radio communication with air traffic controllers, according to a release from the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The plane was intercepted by two Air Force F-16s, but the civilian pilot got back on the radio and was allowed to proceed to its destination, NORAD said.

The second aircraft entered restricted airspace just before 9 a.m. and was intercepted by one F-16 and a U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter. The civilian aircraft was escorted out of the restricted area and allowed to continue to its destination, NORAD said.

NORAD, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, occasionally sends fighters to intercept general aviation planes that stray into restricted space or who aren't in communication with the Federal Aviation Administration controllers and haven't filed a flight plan.

Last year, NORAD officials said they launch intercepters about 200 times a year, for various reasons.

Incidents with small, privately owned planes usually turn out to be inadvertent and the military planes quickly get pilots' attention.

Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, monitoring of the airspace around the nation's capital and other areas has intensified, according to the FAA website.

The National Capital Region Coordination Center was established in November 2002 to enhance security in the air over the capital, the FAA site says. It is manned by seasoned air traffic controllers around the clock; Homeland Security and Defense Department officials also work in the center.

Special restrictions are in place for airspace within 30 miles of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the FAA said.