The intruder who accessed the flight line at Joint Base Andrews, the home of Air Force One, and entered a military aircraft was spotted in part because he was wearing a hat that resembled rodent ears.
An Air Force investigative report, which was released on Thursday with redactions, attributed the intrusion to “human error” and stressed that the man did not get near the plane that is used by President Biden.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested on Feb. 4 after he sneaked into the base and wandered around for five hours. He was wearing “a bright red or pink cap that partially covered his ears and had distinctive balls on top that looked a little like mouse ears,” the Air Force inspector general said.
The intruder was taken into custody after an airman noticed the “distinctive hat” and called security after becoming suspicious of his presence at the base. Air Force Inspector General Sami Said said that it is unclear how long the suspect was walking around the Maryland base before he was discovered.
‘SERIOUS BREACH’: INTRUDER ENTERED AIRCRAFT AT BASE HOUSING AIR FORCE ONE
“To be frank, I’m just being honest, we had no idea we had an unauthorized civilian on the base. He could have roamed around for a lot longer had it not been for that particular airman that figured out he doesn’t quite fit,” Said said, according to WUSA9.
The base in Maryland is home to the Boeing 747 that is called Air Force One when Biden is on board. Any Air Force aircraft carrying a sitting president is automatically labeled Air Force One, although this one is specially designed for the task. Said explained that the man never got close to the jet and that the area of the base where it is kept is “exceptionally secure.”
While wandering the base, the man was able to enter a C-40 airline transport jet assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing.
The investigation found a trio of security failures, including a “human error” that led to the man being let through the base’s main gate by a security guard, him being able to slip through a restricted fence and onto the flight line, and the man’s ability to get on and off the C-40 without being questioned despite having no credentials.
“Security forces actually never saw him transition from the open gate to the aircraft,” Said said. “The good news is, once alerted, security forces apprehended him pretty darned quickly — the minute he came off the plane.”
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After he was detained, investigators determined that the man was homeless, living out of his car, and had warrants out for his arrest. He was turned over to local law enforcement after receiving a federal summons for trespassing.
