A small, single-engine plane strayed into restricted air space near the U.S. Capitol on Friday, forcing anxious officials to place the White House in temporary lockdown and take steps to evacuate the U.S. Capitol.

The episode was over within minutes as two F-16 fighter jets and two Coast Guard helicopters were dispatched to intercept the plane and escort it to an airport in Maryland, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman Michael Kucharek said the two helicopters established communications with the pilot.

The owner of the Indian Head Airport in Charles County, Md., said the pilot and his wife were en route from Turner, Maine, to North Carolina to visit the couple’s daughter. Owner Gil Bauserman said a technology problem on the Cessna 180, rather than anything nefarious, forced the plane to enter restricted air space, prompting the swift military response.