That was a identification air intercept to get a visual and
it was an accident, not a shoot down.

BTW, I noticed that I typed shoot in an other post, about
the seaplane when I meant shot.


"john smith" wrote in message
...
| In article 6wnZg.12659$XX2.5451@dukeread04,
| "Jim Macklin"
wrote:
|
| A number of years ago, a Congressman proposed that ANY
| airplane approaching the USA without a clearance that
would
| not answer a radio call be shot down. War on drugs,
this
| was before War on Terror. They were very serious, any
| airplane.
| So I contacted a few Congressmen and Senators and told
them
| what the procedure would be, a light twin or even
business
| jet would depart the Caribbean resort headed for Miami
or
| Atlanta. After take-off they would open their flight
plan.
| But an electrical failure would knock out the lights,
radios
| and navigation. The transponder would not work.
Navigation
| errors or perhaps an engine problem would put them well
off
| the flight plan. ATC would know that some airplane had
a
| problem,
| But the "unknown" aircraft would be picked up by
military
| radar and since it would not have a transponder and
might
| even be at low altitude, fighters would be scrambled.
| Running with no lights and "refusing to answer" radio
calls,
| it would be shot down and three Congressmen would be
killed
| returning from golf in the Bahamas.
| The idea died.
|
| Already happened. A Baron returning from the Burmuda was
rammed by an
| F-4 in IMC off North Carolina in the 1980's, killing all
onboard the
| Baron.