F-16s Intercept Aircraft Near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago In Florida

PALM BEACH, Florida – U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jets were scrambled twice within 48 hours to intercept civilian aircraft that breached restricted airspace near former President Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago estate, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed.

The first violation took place on Saturday, March 8, at approximately 8:50 a.m. EDT. A civilian aircraft entered the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) zone surrounding Mar-a-Lago, prompting an F-16 to escort it out of the area. The operation concluded without incident. Less than two days later, on Sunday, March 9, at around 1:15 p.m. EDT, a second aircraft strayed into the no-fly zone. This time, fighter jets deployed flares—a standard tactic to alert pilots—before safely guiding the plane away.

NORAD stated in a release that the flares are employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground.

“NORAD and the FAA work closely together to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR),” said Gen. Gregory Guillot, Commander, NORAD and US Northern Command.

“Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President. The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMs, before each flight as required by the FAA, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR.”