A man broke into Joint Base Andrews and slipped onto an Air Force C-40 aircraft used to shuttle top US officials
An unarmed man broke into Joint Base Andrews on Thursday and slipped aboard a C-40 aircraft.
The C-40 aircraft at JBA are tasked with transporting top US government and military officials.
The man was apprehended by security forces, given a federal summons for trespassing, and handed over to local law enforcement.
A man broke into a military base in Maryland on Thursday and boarded an aircraft used to transport top US officials, the Air Force revealed Friday.
After the intruder gained access to Joint Base Andrews, "the individual gained unauthorized access to the flightline and entered a C-40 aircraft assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing," the 316th Wing said in a statement.
The man was apprehended by base security. After he was booked by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and given a federal summons for trespassing, the military handed him over to local law enforcement, as he had two outstanding warrants, the Air Force said.
While the man was unarmed and did not harm anyone, Col. Roy Oberhaus, the vice wing commander of the 316th Wing at Joint Base Andrews, said that "this was a serious breach of security and Joint Base Andrews is investigating the incident to determine how this happened so it doesn't happen again."
Sometimes referred to as the "President's Wing," the 89th Airlift Wing is the "the elite Air Mobility Command wing for transporting VIPs around the world," according to the Joint Base Andrews website.
The C-40 aircraft, which replaced the C-137, is the military version of the Boeing 737-700 business jet, and is, according to the Air Force, "designed to be an 'office in the sky' for senior military and government officials."
There are two different variants of the C-40. The C-40B serves military leaders, such as combatant commanders, while the C-40C serves Cabinet officials and members of Congress. The C-40 aircraft at Joint Base Andrews can also be tasked to carry the president and vice president.
While the C-40C is an advanced aircraft, the plane lacks some of the higher-end communications capabilities of the B variant. The C variant can, however, be configured to carry a larger passenger load.
The 89th Airlift Wing did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the type of aircraft the intruder boarded and its customers.
Following the Air Force acknowledgement of the breach, the service announced that the secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff of the Air Force directed the Department of the Air Force Inspector General to investigate the breach at the base.
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