F-16s intercept plane after airspace violation

WASHINGTON - Two F-16s were scrambled Monday to intercept a small plane that flew into restricted airspace above Washington and forced an evacuation of some parts of the White House.

The North American Aerospace Defence Command reported the violation by a Cessna 182 in the early afternoon. The two F-16s guided the aircraft to a landing minutes later at a small airport in Virginia, west of the nation’s capital.

CNN reported the airspace violation produced an evacuation of a portion of the White House.

The North American Aerospace Defence Command, or NORAD, is a joint US-Canadian operation based in Colorado and designed to protect against air attacks on the two countries.