U.S. Capitol Building Evacuated
W A S H I N G T O N, June 9, 2004 -- A small plane appeared to fly toward the U.S. Capitol today as officials prepared to receive Ronald Reagan's body, prompting authorities to urge thousands of people to run from the area as fast as they could.
An all-clear was issued when authorities realized there was no threat, and the building reopened.
The plane, a 1972 Beechcraft King Air 200 registered to the Kentucky State Police Department, was carrying Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher to Washington for the Reagan funeral. Two pilots and a Kentucky State Police trooper assigned to security also were on board.
The plane had a waiver to enter the restricted airspace in order to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport, which is closed to most private planes, and it followed proper procedures of the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration, a government source said..
However, officials became concerned as the plane approached Washington because its transponder, which detects incoming radar signals and broadcasts radio signals to air traffic controllers, was sending intermittent signals, the source said. At the FAA's request, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, sent two F-15 fighter jets from an air patrol to intercept the plane. The Kentucky plane landed without incident at the airport.
Fletcher's office said the transponder malfunctioned shortly after takeoff from Northern Kentucky International Airport.
"It is uncertain where the miscommunications occurred that led to this unfortunate incident," Daniel Groves, the governor's chief of staff, said in a statement. "However, it appears the pilots properly communicated with all of the appropriate agencies and individuals that protocol in such circumstances require."
The brief scare occurred shortly after 4:30 p.m., as crowds were gathering in the Capitol area to watch the stately procession bringing Reagan's body to the Capitol Rotunda, where it will lie in state."Run, run!" police shouted, directing congressional staffers and journalists to run north toward Union Station.
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