F-16s force plane down at Bloomington aiport

At least two F-16 fighters forced down a small passenger plane at the Monroe County Airport this afternoon.\nThe pilot was apparently confused and didn't know U.S. airspace remains closed to everything but commercial and military aircraft, an airport official told the IDS.\nOnce the plane landed, state and local police surrounded it as a precuation, the airport official said.\nFBI spokesman Doug Garrison said an agent from his office responded and determined that the plane and its pilot were not a threat.\nGreg Gaskill, air traffic manager at Terre Haute tower, confirmed that fighter jets from the 181st Air National Guard unit had been flying missions, including in the Bloomington area. Monroe County Airport officials also said the planes came from Terre Haute.\nMonroe County Airport is closed, except for special exceptions, said Bruce Payton, the airport's director.\n"There is no cause for any alarm," Payton said. "The necessary precautions all worked very well."\nThe planes flew over campus at about 1:30 p.m., creating a stir soon after the University observed a moment of silence for the victims of Tuesday's terrorist attack on New York and Washington, D.C.