An airport worker who knew how to take off but not land stole a small airplane Saturday and threatened to crash it into a Walmart, circling for five hours before ending the flight safely in a soybean field where police arrested him.
Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka said Cory Wayne Patterson didn't have a pilot's license but had some flight instruction and was an employee of Tupelo Aviation.– An airport worker who knew how to take off but not land stole a small airplane Saturday and threatened to crash it into a Walmart, circling for five hours over unnerved Mississippians before ending the flight safely in a soybean field where police arrested him.
Police negotiators were able to make contact during the flight and convince Patterson to land, but he didn't know how. He was coached by a private pilot into nearly landing at the Tupelo airport but he aborted the attempt at the last minute and resumed the flight, authorities said. “If you’ve got a trained pilot who can get in and grab a business jet, you’ve got a pretty lethal weapon there,” he said.
“This very thing is discussed in the course, the potential for somebody gaining access and intent on damage,” he said. “It’s dependent on all of those who work at an airport. If you see someone you don't recognize or some unusual activity, you’re supposed to report that.”An online flight tracking service showed the plane's swirling path through the sky early Saturday.
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