Plane violates airspace over President Bush's ranch

WASHINGTON, Jan 1 (Reuters) A small airplane twice flew into restricted airspace above President George W Bush's Texas ranch in what the Secret Service decided was an inadvertent violation, a Secret Service spokeswoman said today.

The spokeswoman said the incident began about 11:30 pm (1000 IST) on last night while the president and his wife were at the ranch near Crawford, Texas.

The pilot was interviewed by the Secret Service afterward and a decision was made that it was ''an inadvertent violation,'' the spokeswoman said.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said that it was investigating the incident to determine if further action is required. The pilot could face civil penalties.

REUTERS LL VC2344