This was a scary moment considering all that is going on in the Middle East. The U.S. Air Force deployed two F-16 fighter jets to intercept an unresponsive aircraft that was flying in a restricted fly zone in West Palm Beach. Multiple flares were used to alert the aircraft’s pilot, who was initially unresponsive to NORAD’s communications. The New York Post was the first to report on the scare and provided a full report: A security scare at Palm Beach International Airport Sunday prompted the Air Force to scramble F-16 fighter jets and deploy flares — hours before Air Force One was slated to fly President Trump back to DC. Authorities imposed a ground stop at the airport as they rushed to confront the civilian aircraft. The White House said that the security scare took place after authorities lost communication with a general aviation plane. “The civilian aircraft violated the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) at approximately 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The aircraft was safely escorted out of the area by NORAD aircraft,” the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service explained in a statement shared by the North American Aerospace Defense Command — which controls the airspace over the US and Canada. “The flares were used to draw attention from or communicate with the pilot. Flares are employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground.” The White House and Secret Service said that neither Air Force One nor Trump was in danger. “A general aviation aircraft was briefly out of communication with the air traffic control tower at Palm Beach International Airport, but contact was ultimately established and the ground stop was lifted,” a White House official told The Post. Fox News reports: UPDATE: F-16 fighter jets intercepted an unresponsive aircraft in restricted air space around West Palm Beach while President Trump was present The F-16s had to deploy FLARES to get the pilot to respond I’d imagine that pilot needs a new pair of pants pic.twitter.com/zehr4kfHmy https://t.co/ANhWmZZkkH — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 29, 2026 This is a developing story…