Monday, 5 September 2022

Pilot of stolen King Air threatens to crash into a Walmart

A Beechcraft King Air C90A owned by Southeast Aviation was stolen on Saturday from Mississippi’s Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP/KTUP), and officials told local news media that the pilot, identified as Cory Patterson, was circling the area, threatening to crash the twin turboprop into a local Walmart store. 

Three hours later, the airplane was reported down in a field northeast of Tupelo, about halfway to Memphis, Tennessee, with the pilot in custody. After taking off at 7:45 a.m. CDT, according to flightaware.com, the 1987 King Air C90A flew an erratic flight path as the drama began to unfold. Circling at an altitude between 1,200 feet and 1,400 feet msl, the aircraft was tracked by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and people had been evacuated from the area while Patterson circled near Tupelo. By 10:07 a.m. local time, the aircraft was reported to be on the ground in a field.




Tupelo police coordinated with Walmart and nearby business owners to evacuate customers and disperse people in harm’s way away from the store, according to the Daily Journal. 
Police had been talking directly with the pilot, the journal reported.

Patterson posted a ”goodbye” message to his Facebook account before stealing the airplane.
The post – which has since been deleted by Facebook – read: ‘Sorry everyone. Never actually wanted to hurt anyone. I love my parents and sister this isn’t your fault. Goodbye.’

Patterson worked at the Tupelo airport fueling planes as a lineman and has worked at the airport for ten years. Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka stated in a press conference he "had some flight instruction, but we do not believe he was a licensed pilot. Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka said that Patterson will be charged with grand larceny and making terrorist threats.

Aircraft Information:
Owner / Operator Southeast Aviation
Aircraft: Beech C90A King Air
Registration: N342ER
Serial Number: LJ-1156
Engines: 2 Turbo Prop P & W Canada PT6A-60A
First Flew: January 1987

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