Plane crowds Air Force One, F-15s scramble

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SEATTLE, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Two F-15 jets were deployed into airspace over Seattle Tuesday after a plane violated flight restrictions imposed for a presidential visit, authorities said.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the F-15s were scrambled at about 2 p.m. PDT after a pilot flew a seaplane into restricted space around Boeing Field, where Air Force One landed Tuesday, carrying President Barack Obama to Seattle for political fundraiser, The Seattle Times reported.

Todd Banks, president of a company that owns the floatplane facility where the plane landed, told the newspaper the pilot of the plane that set off the scramble was returning to Kenmore from Lake Chelan, using a route that he routinely travels, and hadn't checked on Tuesday morning's notice of restrictions.

The pilot, identified as Lee Daily, and a passenger, identified as Laura Joseph, were interviewed by the Secret Service and were permitted to leave Kenmore, Banks said.

Joseph told the newspaper Daily had not known the president was coming to Seattle Tuesday.