Wed, Aug 29, 2007
Thought He Was About To Land At Lafayette... But Landed At
IND
Well, you know what they say about
men and directions (hey, I resemble that remark! --
Ed.) A brand new pilot making his first solo
flight in Indiana caused a bit of a problem Sunday, when he caused
three aircraft to delay their landings while he tried to figure out
where he was.
Keith J. Sharpe, 69, thought he was inbound to Purdue University
Airport in Lafayette and was trying to contact that tower. However,
he was actually in Indianapolis International Airport's airspace,
and had entered it without permission, reported the Indy Star.
The IND tower began tracking Sharpe when he was three miles
northwest of the airport -- and about 51 nautical miles southeast
of LAF. Controllers directed him to land on any IND runway --
pronto.
"We determined that if he wasn't sure where he was, we wanted to
land him right away," said Federal Aviation Administration
spokesperson Tony Molinaro. "We didn't want to take any chances
with him being up in the air."
According to the FAA, controllers had pilots of three other
incoming aircraft hold until Sharpe's Cessna was safely on the
ground.
Sharpe told airport police he believed he was about to land in
Lafayette and was trying to contact that Lafayette's tower.
The novice pilot was greeted to a swarm of airport police upon
landing, but he was not arrested. However, officers informed him he
could face federal charges for violating FAA airspace regulations,
according to a police report.
The Indy Star said Sharpe could not be reached for comment.
More News
Aero Linx: Model Aeronautical Association of Australia MAAA clubs are about fun flying, camaraderie and community. For over 75 years, the MAAA has been Australia’s largest fl>[...]
Touchdown Zone Lighting Two rows of transverse light bars located symmetrically about the runway centerline normally at 100 foot intervals. The basic system extends 3,000 feet alon>[...]
“Discovery and innovation are central to our mission at Virgin Galactic. We’re excited to build on our successful record of facilitating scientific experiments in subor>[...]
How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]
Student Pilot Reported That During Rotation, “All Of A Sudden The Back Of The Plane Kicked To The Right..." Analysis: The student pilot reported that during rotation, “>[...]