CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A pilot in a single-engine plane entered restricted air space over the Kennedy Space Center and was escorted down Tuesday, officials said. The incident did not disrupt the planned launch of space shuttle Atlantis next month.
The plane "was within sight of the launch pad," said NASA spokesman George Diller.
FBI agents decided not to file any criminal charges after interviewing the pilot, Michael Dunn, 46, of Port St. Lucie, Fla.
"There is no connection to terrorism," Special Agent Chris Bonner said. "He was a little disoriented when he flew over the space center. He knew what he did was wrong. He was confused and contrite."
The restricted air space is about 10 miles by 30 miles and is clearly marked on air charts, Diller said. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, pilots have not been allowed within the area at any time.
"He clearly should have known," Diller said.
Dunn, with only a handheld radio and a GPS instrument, told investigators that he tried to contact the tower at the Kennedy Space Center but he didn't get a response.
A sheriff's office helicopter from Volusia County escorted the plane down to the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, where it was searched for explosives and drugs, said sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson. Nothing suspicious was detected, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating, and the pilot could have his license suspended or revoked if radar data shows the plane violated the air space, said Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the agency.
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