In what became an unexpected joint mission Tuesday afternoon, an Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon intercepted an Army soldier-piloted Cessna that accidentally intruded upon restricted airspace during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The small, single-engine aircraft was operated by an Army instructor pilot operating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, officials confirmed to Military Times. CNN first reported<\/a> the Army connection of the pilot and the plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n North American Aerospace Defense Command issued a statement confirming the interception, saying that the aircraft \u201cviolated the temporary flight restriction area over New York City and was intercepted by a NORAD F-16 fighter.\u201d The interception occurred around 2 p.m., the statement said, adding that \u201cviolations such as this one occur from time to time and are a normal part of NORAD operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n West Point spokesperson Lt. Col. Beth Smith acknowledged that the Army pilot \u201cbriefly violated\u201d the flight restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA West Point fixed wing aircraft flown by an Army instructor pilot conducting a cadet flight lab in support of ME481, a Civil and Mechanical Engineering class, briefly violated temporarily restricted airspace this afternoon near the George Washington Bridge,\u201d Smith told Military Times. \u201cOnce they realized they had violated the airspace, they immediately left the area and returned to the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n