Changes made in air security

Officials were to testify about an episode at Reagan's funeral.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Air security officials are making adjustments and lawmakers are questioning whether military jets can adequately intercept hostile aircraft over the nation's capital after a harrowing episode last month during Ronald Reagan's funeral.
Military aircraft patrolling over Washington were unable to get into position where they could have shot down a suspicious plane, officials said. The plane turned out to be carrying Kentucky's governor to the funeral, but miscommunication among U.S. defense agencies turned the routine flight into a frantic evacuation of the Capitol.
The episode proved what security experts have been saying since Sept. 11, 2001, officials said, that preventing an aerial attack depends on measures taken well before a plane enters the restricted air space over Washington.
Bush administration officials were to testify before Congress today about the problems encountered June 9, when Gov. Ernie Fletcher's flight to Reagan National Airport caused a breathless evacuation of the Capitol building on the day Reagan's body was brought to lie in state.
Changes made
The Federal Aviation Administration, NORAD and other security agencies have made significant changes since the episode to address shortcomings exposed that day, officials said.
"The purpose of the hearing is find out what went wrong, and have they fixed it," House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla., said.
"The good news is we evacuated the Capitol in record time. The bad news was it was a false alarm and it appears there was a lack of coordination between FAA and Homeland Security, and we can't afford that kind of a gap in the future," Mica added.
NORAD said it scrambled two jets during the incident, but declined to be more specific because of the classified nature of its engagement rules. The fact that "the plane landed without incident June 9 indicates that the procedures developed since Sept. 11 work," it said.
Homeland Security spokeswoman Katy Mynster said, "We believe appropriate security measures were put in place based on the information we had at the time. "
... Of course, we continue to look for ways to improve communications."
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.