2008.08.18
Authorities say pilot had planned to crash plane into Smith Mountain Lake
The man who led authorities on a region-wide airplane chase intended to crash the single-engine Cessna into Smith Mountain Lake, according to Franklin County authorities.
Sheriff Ewell Hunt said the man, whose name still has not been released, told a family member that he planned to crash the plane into the lake. Shortly before 11 a.m., the man fueled up the plane and took off from Roanoke Regional Airport without receiving clearance from the tower, Hunt said.
Contrary to earlier reports, airport spokeswoman Sherry Wallace said the plane was not stolen, and the pilot is one of four owners.
The man is a retired air traffic controller who lives in the Blue Ridge area of Botetourt County, Hunt said. He didn’t say where the man had worked.
Over the course of the early afternoon, the plane was spotted flying over Bridgewater Plaza, the Smith Mountain Lake dam, Read Mountain and exit 150 on Interstate 81. The man’s wife told state police that she had seen him fly over their house in Blue Ridge.
Throughout the day, the plane was not showing up on radar, possibly because the pilot was flying below 200 feet, which is legal for private planes.
At some point during the afternoon, a state police helicopter began shadowing the plane. An FAA air marshal also was in contact with the pilot.
The man eventually landed safely back at the airport. He then took off on foot down the runway toward Peters Creek Road before he was apprehended.
The plane is registered to DSI LLC of Blue Ridge.
