Day after panic, D.C. ponders evacuation plan

Bush had left the White House at about 11:03 a.m. and had arrived at Patuxent for the bike ride at 11:34 a.m.

“Given such circumstances and the fact that the plane turned away from the White House, the decision was made to inform the president upon conclusion of his bike ride,” McClellan said.

McClellan later added, “there is always a review of the response to a situation of this nature.”

Officials to NBC: Shootdown never an option
U.S. military officials told NBC News that since the Cessna exhibited no hostile intent, there was no order given to the F-16 pilots to shoot it down.

The officials explained that, under strict rules of engagement, there is no situation under which the pilots would be given “authorization” to shoot down a plane, a scenario that would give pilots some discretion. According to the officials Air Force pilots in these cases are either ordered to shoot down the plane or not, and in this case they were not.

J.scott Applewhite / AP An F-16 fighter jet, fully armed with air-to-air missiles under its wings, maneuvers above the capital Wednesday during the evacuation scare.

Military officials said when the F-16s dropped their flares, “it got their attention” and the plane immediately changed course away from the capital.

The aircraft later landed, and two men who reportedly were flying to a North Carolina air show were taken into custody. “This appears to be errant pilots,” Capitol police Chief Terrance Gainer told reporters hours before the Secret Service confirmed his suspicion.

The plane is registered to Vintage Aero Club in Smoketown, Pa. It was scheduled to be flown Wednesday by Jim Sheaffer of Lititz, Pa., and student pilot Troy Martin of Akron, Pa., to an air show in Lumberton, N.C.

Martin’s wife, Jill, said the two men left late Wednesday morning for Lumberton. “Troy was discussing with me last night after they made their flight plans all about the no-fly zones and how they were going to avoid them. He said they were going to fly between two different restricted areas,” she said.

‘You've got one minute’
When the plane was detected, capital police began quickly evacuating people.

“You've got one minute!” one officer at the Capitol yelled to a group including NBC correspondent Chip Reid. A few minutes later, after hundreds of people who had been in the Capitol fled to a park two blocks away, officials gave the "all clear" signal.

But during the brief evacuation, military jets scrambled over the area as people ran down streets. A motorcade stormed out of a side street next to the White House, NBC correspondent Norah O'Donnell reported from a cell phone as she evacuated.

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