Strange plane caused the entire US Congress to evacuate

According to AP news agency, the evacuation order was announced by the Capitol Hill police at about 6:30 pm on April 20 (US Eastern time) for people working at the central complex of the US Capitol. During the evacuation, neither the US House of Representatives nor the US Senate – agencies located in the complex, held no sessions.

However, the evacuation order was withdrawn after only a few minutes, after police said the plane being tracked belonged to the US Army, was carrying members of the US Army’s Parachute Team to perform at a battle. baseball game. The parachute team landed in the ballpark about 1.5km from Capitol Hill, and the plane landed safely at 6:50 am.

The aircraft, identified as a De Havilland Twin Otter, took off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland (USA), then circled in confined space near Capitol Hill. Radar data shows that the aircraft did not violate the prohibited airspace above the US Capitol and US government buildings, as well as continuously informed the flight path to the air traffic control tower at the national airport. Ronald Reagan Washington nearby.

Two sources with knowledge of the matter said investigators were looking into why the event was not coordinated by the US Army with law enforcement in Washington DC, adding that many federal agencies had to evacuating officials while the plane circled overhead.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has criticized the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for acting negligently, causing unnecessary “panic” at the US Capitol. According to Pelosi, the FAA’s “failure” to notify Capitol Hill police of its plan to fly the plane over the US Capitol building to nearby National Stadium – part of a military celebration – as “so surprising and inexplicable”.

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives also affirmed that “this unnecessary panic due to negligence especially affects” those who are still traumatized after the riots on January 6, 2021. Therefore, the US Congress will considers “exactly what happened on April 20 and who at the FAA is responsible” for this mistake.

Since the riots in front of the US Capitol early last year, security has been increased in the areas around this site. According to Reuters news agency, the police on Capitol Hill now have a larger number, equipped with more weapons and support vehicles. The hard steel fence around the US Capitol has been removed, but the soft barrier is still present.

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