Plane intercepted near Mar-a-Lago by fighter jet using ‘headbutt maneuver’ while Trump was in Florida
Plane intercepted near Mar-a-Lago by fighter jet using ‘headbutt maneuver’ while Trump was in Florida
Brendan Rascius Mon, October 26, 2026 at 5:30 PM UTC
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A fighter jet used a “headbutt maneuver” to intercept a plane near Mar-a-Lago Saturday while President Donald Trump was in Florida, U.S. officials said.
At around 12:20 p.m., a civilian aircraft crossed into a restricted area over the president’s Palm Beach resort, resulting in an interception from a North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 fighter jet.
“After the fighter jet executed a standard headbutt maneuver to gain the pilot’s attention, the civilian aircraft established communication and safely exited the restricted airspace in full compliance with flight instructions,” NORAD said in a Saturday press release.
The headbutt maneuver involves a fighter jet flying closely in front of another aircraft to get its pilot’s attention. The identity of the pilot has not been released.
“Pilots who violate [Temporary Flight Restriction] airspace may also be met by federal authorities upon landing and subject to enforcement action,” NORAD said.
An F-16 fighter jet used a ‘headbutt maneuver’ to intercept an aircraft near Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, US officials said (Getty)
“Should NORAD aircraft intercept a general aviation aircraft, the pilot should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies,” NORAD said.
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TFRs are used by the Federal Aviation Authority for safety and security purposes, such as for major sporting events or national security situations. They are frequently put in place when the president visits Mar-a-Lago.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were in Florida Saturday to vote early in the midterm elections, casting their ballots in West Palm Beach that afternoon. The president spent the morning at his nearby golf club, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump speak to the press at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office after voting in the midterm elections in West Palm Beach on October 24 (AFP/Getty)
NORAD, a joint U.S.-Canadian military command, has intercepted upwards of 60 aircraft violating flight restrictions around Palm Beach since last January, according to WPTV.
“I would say that's a lot,” a NORAD spokesperson said during a media briefing earlier this month.
The military has also installed missile defense systems around Trump’s sprawling Palm Beach estate, providing a layer of protection also used at previous presidents’ private residences, Military.com reported.
Trump, 80, has been subject to multiple threats on his life, including in 2024, when a man hid with a rifle in bushes along the perimeter of the president’s Florida golf club.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
