NORAD INTERCEPTS MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT VIOLATING TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS OVER HOUSTON, TEXAS

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - NORAD F-16 fighter aircraft intercepted five general aviation aircraft that violated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) airspace over Houston, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2026.

All general aviation aircraft were safely escorted out of the area by NORAD aircraft.

"Safeguarding our shared airspace is a mission where every single aviator has a vital role to play," said Royal Canadian Air Force Major-General David Moar, Director of NORAD Operations. "Multiple recent TFR violations in Texas is a clear signal that we must address this together and drive that number down immediately. Safety is paramount, and it starts before the wheels ever leave the ground: thoroughly planning to include reading and understanding active NOTAMs is not just a checklist item, it is essential to keeping everyone in the sky safe."

Should NORAD aircraft intercept a general aviation aircraft, the pilot should immediately come up on frequency 121.5 or 243.0 and turn around to reverse course until receiving additional instructions on one of those frequencies.

General aviation pilots are reminded to check Notices to Airmen, or NOTAMs, before each flight as required by the FAA, and TFR procedures must be followed.

The Continental U.S. NORAD Region, at Tyndall AFB, is the operational lead for this NORAD mission.

For more information about General Aviation and TFRs visit https://www.norad.mil/General-Aviation/

NOTE TO EDITORS: For further information, please contact Continental U.S. NORAD Region Public Affairs at [email protected].

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