Air Guard Fighters Intercept Suspicious Aircraft

By Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum
Special to American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON, Va., April 7, 2009 – Air National Guard fighter aircraft from two states intercepted a suspicious aircraft as it flew into U.S. airspace yesterday afternoon.

North American Aerospace Defense Command directed F-16C aircraft assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, Minn., to initially intercept the Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft near Michigan\’s Upper Peninsula, before handing off the mission to F-16s assigned to the 115th FW of Madison, Wis.
Pilots attempted to notify the pilot to establish communications with local Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers and land safety for further follow-on action, according to a Wisconsin National Guard news release.