US Capital evacuated!

[NeoV]

Anyone in that area?

 

[crab]

Lots of folks.

 

[hdeck]

dad just told me about it.

 

[Hammer]

?

 

[Anubis]

is something going on? clue me in

 

[FoBoT]

nothing yet on the web sites

 

[apac]

Not on CNN.com yet..

 

[dabuddha]

I haven't heard anything about this and I'm about 10 minutes away from the capital.

 

[PanzerIV]

Say whaaaaaaa????????

 

[crab]

Its over, airspace violation.

 

[RossMAN]

From WashingtonPost.com

Breaking News -- Details to Come

Employees Return to U.S. Capitol Building

 

[Jzero]

The Capitol?

 

[hdeck]

rofl, the governor of kentucky violated air space:beer:

 

[TitanDiddly]

CNN and Reuters show nothing.... What's going on? Do I need to duct tape my doors and windows?

 

[FoBoT]

drudgereport just added a small blurb

U.S. Capitol Building Being Evacuated... Developing...

now it says

The US Congress was briefly evacuated Wednesday, two hours ahead of the arrival of the coffin of former president Ronald Reagan to lie in state. Police ordered thousands of people away from the complex but said the alert was over about 10 minutes later. Developing...

more added

Republican Senator Rick Santorum said: "All I know is, there was an airplane in an airspace where it didn't belong." He added that an all clear had been declared.

 

[zimu]

wow, talk about living in fear. bet every one of those evacuated pissed intheir pants.

 

[Schadenfroh]

just put a patriot missle battery in the capital and white house and shoot down anything that crosses into the airspace

 

[Hammer]

oh ok. jesus. capitAl and capitOl are 2 different things.

 

[yukichigai]

Originally posted by: zimu
wow, talk about living in fear. bet every one of those evacuated pissed intheir pants.

Frank: We need to evacuate immediately!
Hawkeye: I think I just did.

Good times, good times.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
just put a patriot missle battery in the capital and white house and shoot down anything that crosses into the airspace

Last time I was there, they did have SAM batteries nearby. I dunno if they're still there, but I would tend to think so. They can't very well shoot down a civilian aircraft until they are sure it's hostile, however.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: Don_Vito

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
just put a patriot missle battery in the capital and white house and shoot down anything that crosses into the airspace

Last time I was there, they did have SAM batteries nearby. I dunno if they're still there, but I would tend to think so. They can't very well shoot down a civilian aircraft until they are sure it's hostile, however.

i would shoot it down if it was violating my airspace and would not respond to radio transmissions

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: Don_Vito

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
just put a patriot missle battery in the capital and white house and shoot down anything that crosses into the airspace

Last time I was there, they did have SAM batteries nearby. I dunno if they're still there, but I would tend to think so. They can't very well shoot down a civilian aircraft until they are sure it's hostile, however.

Ah come on. Where is the fun in that?

 

[Mill]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court were temporarily evacuated on Wednesday when a small plane entered restricted airspace during preparations for former President Ronald Reagan's funeral, Capitol Police and Court spokesmen said.
Authorities quickly declared the incident a false alarm and sounded an all-clear.

The orders to evacuate were given as the jumbo jet carrying Reagan's body to lie in state in the Capitol before his funeral on Friday approached Andrews Air Force Base.

Officials said the alarm was sounded when the small plane, carrying Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, entered restricted airspace.

Federal Aviation Administration officials said the twin-engine turboprop aircraft, registered to the Kentucky state police, had trouble transmitting an electronic identification signal while flying through the restricted airspace.

Air traffic controllers subsequently were able to contact the pilot by radio to identify the aircraft, which had permission to enter the restricted area and land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

"There is no threat," said an FAA spokesman.

Employees at the Supreme Court were told to shelter in the basement before police gave the all-clear. Reuters reporters at the Capitol said fire alarms rang out and police officers shouted at people to "run, run, run."

At least one officer warned about an incoming aircraft.

There have been many false alarms since the Sept. 11, 2001, airborne attacks, often sparked by small planes and commercial airlines straying into restricted airspace.

Reagan National Airport has been off limits to small planes since the attacks because of its proximity to the Pentagon, the White House, the Capitol and other landmarks, but VIPs have received waivers.

 

[KC5AV]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
just put a patriot missle battery in the capital and white house and shoot down anything that crosses into the airspace

There are already anti-aircraft guns mounted up there.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

i would shoot it down if it was violating my airspace and would not respond to radio transmissions

Luckily in this instance it did. It wouldn't have earned great press for the Army (who I assume owns the SAMs, though I could be wrong) if they had killed the governor of Kentucky.