Are senators exempt from FAA rules?

Is a U.S. senator subject to FAA enforcement action for landing on a closed runway? That’s the question asked by Greg Reigel of Reigel Law Firm, Ltd., in a blog post at GlobalAir.com. Reigel is talking about James Inhofe, a senator from Oklahoma and long-time pilot, who landed his Cessna 340 on a closed runway at the Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport in Texas. At the time, the closed runway was marked with large X’s to protect a crew that was working on the runway and a NOTAM regarding the closure had been issued. Inhofe “expressed  assurance that the agency will not take any action against him.” To that Reigel replies: “I find that hard to believe.” Read his full blog post here.