Airplane spurs brief Capitol evacuation

Capitol Police on Saturday briefly evacuated the Capitol and the surrounding congressional office buildings after an airplane lost radio contact in restricted airspace.  

A Piedmont Airlines plane briefly lost radio contact with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials in the early afternoon, prompting a scrambling of military planes in search of it, according to various reports.

Capitol staffers received a message that an unauthorized aircraft had entered restricted airspace, and directed staff to “remain calm and move in a safe manner to the exits.”

FAA officials reestablished contact shortly afterwards, according to reports, and the episode is being considered a false alarm. The plane landed at Reagan National Airport, and the Capitol complex has been reopened.

Capitol Police said in a statement that they are investigating the incident in conjunction with the Transportation Security Administration.