Pilot Fled On Foot After Flying Into US
ANN REALTIME UPDATE 04.06.09
2245 EDT: The US Department of Homeland Security reports
Yavuz Burke, a 31-year-old Turkish-born man who became a Canadian
citizen last year, has been caught by police in Missouri, after
landing a stolen airplane on a highway near Ellsinore.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association -- an organization
particularly sensitive to highly-publicized incidents involving GA
planes -- termed the incident a "rare and unusual event."
"We commend US and Canadian security and defense officials for
bringing a conclusion to the rare and unusual event involving a
stolen aircraft," said AOPA President Craig Fuller. "The aircraft
was detected immediately and the authorities took the appropriate
actions.
"While there remains more to learn, the handling of this
incident demonstrates the effectiveness of today's security
procedures."
Burke -- who was previously known as Adam Leon, reports CNN --
is now in custody. His motive for stealing the small Cessna from an
Ontario flight school, and then flying for several hours in US
airspace without contacting ATC, or the pilots of two F-16s in
trail, is not presently known.
Original Report
2215: The pilot of a stolen Cessna 172 has
landed the aircraft on a highway near Ellsinore, MO after flying
around for several hours, and leading to the evacuation of the
Wisconsin state capitol.
ABC News reports the aircraft departed Confederation College in
Thunder Bay, Ontario at approximately 1500 CDT Monday, and entered
American airspace over Michigan's Upper Peninsula about a half hour
later.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) scrambled
two F-16 fighter jets after the plane entered US airspace without
contacting ATC, and intercepted the plane at approximately 1643 CDT
while over Minnesota.
The fighters trailed the aircraft as it overflew Wisconsin,
Illinois and Missouri, with the pilot reportedly ignoring 15
demands from the military to land the plane. Officials
evacuated the Wisconsin state capitol building in Madison as the
plane flew nearby, though it doesn't appear the pilot made any
overtly threatening moves.
CNN reports the aircraft landed on a highway near Ellsinore,
approximately 700 nautical miles south of its origination
point, presumably due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot --
described by officials as "an obviously unhappy individual" --
reportedly fled the scene on foot, and remains on the run.
A representative with the school's Aviation Centre of Excellence
confirmed to ABC the aircraft was stolen from its facility. Reports
indicate the unidentified individual may have been a student at the
school.
ANN will provide continuing updates on this developing story.
Stay tuned.