Los Angeles: Plane Full of Marijuana Flies into Presidential Restricted Airspace – Forced to Land by Military Jets
When transporting ten kilograms of marijuana, it’s probably best to stay out of restricted airspace. The pilot of a Cessna 182 found this out on Thursday when he strayed over into restricted airspace over Los Angeles. The airspace was restricted because President Barak Obama was scheduled to fly into Los Angeles on Thursday.
The Cessna was met by F-16s out of March Air Reserve Base, which is located in Riverside, California. The F-16s met the Cessna and escorted the plane until it landed safely. The Secret Service met the plane when it landed and found ten kilograms of marijuana on it. The Secret Service said that there was no evidence of a “protection issue,” so the pilot, the plane, and its contents were turned over to local law enforcement, the Long Beach Police Department. Investigators from Homeland Security assisted in questioning the pilot.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the plane got close to President Obama’s helicopter. He was to land at the Los Angeles International Airport and was headed to a fund raising event in San Francisco. The plane was at an altitude of 4,000 feet and the pilot was not communicating with any air traffic controllers. When the airspace is open and not restricted, the plane and pilot would not have had any problems. Planes are barred from being within ten miles of any helicopter or plane that is considered “Presidential.”
The Federal Aviation Administration keeps pilots informed as to when and where the airspace restrictions will be in place through notices and online statements.
The pilot is expected to be charged by state prosecutors. According to someone familiar with the incident, the pilot exited the plane, saw police, and just assumed it was over the marijuana in the plane. He didn’t know he had violated restricted airspace.
