THE US: White House staff and reporters were evacuated for 15 minutes on Wednesday night after a small private aircraft, a Cessna, entered restricted air space and came within four miles of President Bush's home.
Mr Bush was not asked to leave the building during the incident, which arose after the aircraft corrected course to avoid bad weather and inadvertently flew into the restricted fly zone.
Unable to contact the pilot initially, air traffic controllers scrambled F16s, which escorted the aircraft to Richmond International Airport, but the aircraft had already corrected its course to skirt an inner exclusion zone around the White House and contacted Reagan National Airport.
The pilot and his passenger, who were not identified to the media, were allowed to fly on after questioning. A spokesman for the airport authority at Richmond said the pilot may be charged with breaking aviation rules.
The pilot started his flight at a small airport in Gardner, Massachusetts, and did not make required contact as he approached Washington, officials said.
The aircraft approached from the north-east above the nation's capital at 10,500 ft, well below the minimum 18,000 ft required for the restricted space, federal aviation officials said.
The restriction applies to a 15-mile radius around Reagan National Airport.
The evacuation of the White House was the first since September 11th, when the building was thought to be a target of one of the hijacked jetliners used in the terrorist attacks.
Meanwhile, Mr Bush is urging Americans to make themselves healthier through exercise, proper diet and regular medical checks.
"The evidence is clear: A healthier America is a stronger America," Mr Bush said yesterday, kicking off a four-day fitness campaign.
Walking around an exercise fair in the White House grounds, Mr Bush said poor health weakens the US through the high cost of fighting disease and illness.
The US as a nation spends $124 billion on fighting heart disease alone, a figure that could be trimmed along with waistlines, he said.
"Better health is an individual responsibility and an important national goal," the president said.
Mr Bush, a keen jogger, was planning to work out later in the day.
