Will Enter Rehab After Jail Term

Regular ANN readers will recognize the name Philippe Patricio. He was the 20-year old flight student accused of stealing a Cessna 172 from the airport in Danbury, CT in June 2005... then flying drunk for hours.

He finally landed at the Westchester County Airport in New York, on a taxiway, in the dead of night... with just four gallons of fuel left in his tanks.

Well, Philippe is spending the next year in prison after he was sentenced Wednesday by a judge in Danbury.

Superior Court Judge Douglas Mintz told Patricio the flight was "totally outrageous."

"It is a miracle you didn't kill yourself or kill your passengers," Mintz told Patricio, according to the Danbury News-Times. "It's bad enough to drive drunk. To fly drunk is totally unacceptable."

Patricio's lawyer says the young man is battling a severe alcohol problem... and to that end, the judge also sentenced Patricio to six-months in rehab once he's out of prison.

"He's excited about entering the inpatient alcohol program," Patricio's attorney Ed Camacho said. "I think being there (in prison) these last number of months, he's come to realize he has a problem."

Patricio has already served nine months in a New York prison, on charges filed after he landed. Authorities say it's a shame, too, as Patricio had some skill as a pilot... as evidenced by his night-time taxiway landing.

Danbury Airport Administrator Paul Estefan told the court Patricio not only did himself a great disservice, but also set back the cause of general aviation... and that the young man's punishment is fair.

"Mr. Patricio's reckless and negligent actions have had a tremendous negative impact on not only the City of Danbury but on general aviation as a whole. His absolute disregard for safety and human life is appalling," Estefan said. "The fact that he was miraculously able to land the plane should not mitigate the lives he placed in jeopardy."

FMI: www.jud.state.ct.us