A civilian aircraft just penetrated restricted airspace with the G7 summit site. In turn, NORAD’s Canadian region quickly scrambled CF-18 Hornet fighter jets from their Cold War alert. The crash occurred just after 11 a.m. on Sunday. Incredibly, this happened at the time of increased airspace restrictions due to the gathering of world leaders.
U.K. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomes leaders at the G7 summit. The leaders from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Italy are expected to attend. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among those present. (photo by author) The summit is being held in Kananaskis, just southwest of Calgary, in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
The two Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) established transient airspace restrictions over Calgary and Kananaskis. These limitations went into effect early Saturday morning and will remain in place at least until noon on Tuesday. These security and safety measures have the effect of making the participating leaders feel isolated and vulnerable.
The adventitious infiltration of the fixed-wing craft into the restricted space triggered a direct panic. In turn, NORAD scrambled a number of CF-18 Hornet jets to intercept the mysterious plane. The warning flares were standard procedure for the fighter jets to shoot off.
Upon arrival, the plane was greeted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and their federal security partners. It is not yet known what charges, if any, the pilot may eventually face.
The release stated that “it is every pilot’s responsibility to ensure that there are no restrictions in the air space they intend to fly.” The release underscored the tough situation law enforcement finds itself in amidst the public and media glare of high-profile deaths and incidents. It wrote that “these incidents drain resources that should be focused on police operations and protecting the summit site.”
Enforcement authorities are still taking airspace violations seriously and watching closely to avoid any unfortunate interruptions at this vital convening of world leaders. The incident serves as a reminder that even the most basic compliance with airspace regulations goes a long way, particularly when host to a major international event.
