Stolen plane that pilot threatened to crash into Mississippi Walmart lands safely
- Police said Tupelo Aviation employee Cory Wayne Patterson did not have a pilot’s licence
- The motive behind the theft is unclear. Police said Patterson faces charges of grand larceny and making terrorist threats, and additional charges were likely
A pilot who had threatened to crash his small plane into a Walmart shop in the US state of Mississippi has landed in a farm field and been taken into custody, officials said.
The twin-engined Beechcraft plane, which had circled erratically over the city of Tupelo and a nearby area for hours, landed at around 11:25am local time, Connie Strickland, a dispatcher with the Benton County sheriff’s office, said.
The pilot, identified by Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka as Corey Wayne Patterson of nearby Shannon, will be charged with grand larceny and making terrorist threats, CNN reported.
Quaka said additional federal charges were likely.
The motive behind the bizarre theft remained unclear.
Quaka said Patterson had worked for 10 years for Tupelo Aviation – where his job included fuelling aircraft – and had some flight instruction but did not appear to be a licensed pilot.
