Civilian Border Watcher Claims He Was Harassed By F-16 Fighter Jets

by Darren Hunt

EL PASO — A pilot working for a civilian illegal immigration watchdog group claims he was recently harassed by a pair of Air Force F-16 fighter jets.

Glenn Spencer said he flew from Fabens to San diego last month to record the progress that has been made on the border fence when he was confronted by the two fighter jets.

“I thought it was some kind of military maneuver,” said Spencer. The dangerous incident happened while he was flying over Douglas, Arizona in his Cessna 206. “[The jet] was less than a 100 feet away, made a sharp bank and then hit its afterburners. I thought I was in a mid-air collision.”

Spencer is a member of the American Border Patrol, a non-profit group that patrols the border with Mexico. “We fly along the border at least once a month, usually in two hops,” said Spencer.

Air Force officials confirmed the incident, saying the two fighter jets responded to “unknown or threatening airborne objects.” Captain Gabe Johnson said several Air National Guard units have been tasked with monitoring the border since the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Still, Spencer said there is no reason for F-16 fighter jets to be flying so close to civilian aircraft. “If they thought I was somebody that should not have been flying through the area they could have called me on the radio … they did not,” he said.