A fighter jet carried out what the military calls a “headbutt maneuver” to intercept a civilian aircraft that entered restricted airspace near President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, U.S. military officials said. Trump was in West Palm Beach that day to vote in Florida’s midterm election.
The incident occurred at approximately 12:20 p.m. ET, when an F-16 dispatched by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, flew directly in front of the civilian plane to attract the pilot’s attention, the command said. NORAD described the maneuver as a routine interception technique.
The maneuver enabled the military aircraft to make contact with the pilot, who then followed instructions and safely exited the restricted zone, NORAD said. The plane had entered airspace covered by a Temporary Flight Restriction, or TFR. Its pilot could “also be met by federal authorities upon landing and subject to enforcement action,” the command warned.
The Federal Aviation Administration establishes TFRs for a range of circumstances, including major sporting events, severe weather, political gatherings and other events involving prominent political figures—particularly the president. Updated details about the restrictions are distributed to pilots through Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, which the FAA urges aviators to monitor regularly.
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Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were seen Saturday afternoon at a polling location in West Palm Beach, where the president cast an early ballot ahead of the following week’s midterm elections. When asked whether he voted along party lines, Trump replied, “Very much so.” He later traveled to Georgia for a campaign rally.
Trump’s campaign appearances across the country have led to multiple temporary flight restrictions in recent weeks. Earlier this month, NORAD said F-16s intercepted an aircraft that entered restricted airspace over Clemson, South Carolina, where Trump held a rally in support of Darline Graham’s Senate campaign. Several days earlier, the command reported another similar interception over Cincinnati, Ohio, near the site of another rally attended by the president.
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