F-15s Intercept Flight En Route From London to Washington

National Guard, Sep 2006 by Miles, Donna

Massachusetts

Two 102nd Fighter Wing F-15 fighters scrambled Aug. 16 to escort a Washington, D.C.-bound United Airlines flight to Boston's Logan National Airport.

The U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) ordered the Massachusetts Air National Guard unit to scramble the aircraft after receiving a "domestic event network call," said Mike Kucherak, a NORAD spokesman.

The call came through an aviation security hotline that links the command to the Department of Homeland Security and other U.S. aviation security organizations.

It followed an incident aboard United Airlines Flight 923, originally scheduled to fly from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles International Airport.

A disruptive passenger with hand cream and matches caused officials to call for an emergency landing, Transportation Security Agency officials confirmed.

The two jets intercepted the aircraft and escorted it to Boston where it landed without incident, then returned to Otis, Mr. Kucherak said.

The incident occurred less than a week after the arrest of several suspects in the United Kingdom who allegedly were involved in a plot to blow up airlines bound for the United States.

Mr. Kucherak said the escort mission demonstrated the rapid response capability provided since the launch of Operation Noble Eagle immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks.

-By Donna Miles