White House Evacuated
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2003 — At least parts of the White House were evacuated Thursday after a plane flew within five miles of restricted airspace around the complex, officials said.
"It's heading southeast away from the White House and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is attempting to communicate with it," Secret Service spokeswoman Jean Mitchell said.
There was no official evacuation, she said. But White House staff members did leave the West Wing for a time Thursday morning, then were allowed to return.
An aide to President Bush said that staffers were told to go to a nearby street but were allowed to go back to their desks a short time later.
The president was traveling in Britain at the time. Many of his top aides also were on the trip and not in the building.
"The threat level was never raised," Mitchell said, adding that the FAA is investigating.
On Nov. 10, Air Force fighter jets scrambled to intercept a private plane that flew too close to the White House. The plane was later determined not to be a threat.
The president was away at that time, also, on a trip to Arkansas and South Carolina.
