United States v. Ralph William Myers

On August 13, 1987, appellant Ralph William Myers flew his single-engine airplane into the prohibited airspace over President Reagan’s California ranch. The timing of his flight coincided with that of President Reagan and the presidential party, who were en route to the ranch under the escort of United States Marine Corps helicopters. One of the military helicopters gave chase, identified Myers’ craft, and relayed the information to Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) controllers who tracked the plane to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California.

As the appellant neared the airport, he received a radio message from the tower directing him to telephone the FAA upon landing. Myers and his passenger immediately concocted a story about the appellant losing his contact lenses while in flight and, as a result, inadvertently flying into prohibited airspace. After landing, Myers telephoned this fabrication to the FAA, and subsequently repeated it to Secret Service agents who were conducting a separate investigation into the event. The appellant reiterated this story the following day to Secret Service agents while he was being detained by local authorities and undergoing a…