Posted on 06/22/2005 2:06:11 PM PDT by LurkedLongEnough
(Harrison, N.Y.-AP, June 22, 2005 2:25 PM) _ An 20-year-old man, allegedly intoxicated, is under arrest after allegedly stealing a small plane in Connecticut. The man took two friends on a three-hour joyride early this morning that somehow ended with a safe landing at a darkened Westchester County Airport.
County Executive Andrew Spano says that when an airport security car met the four-seat Cessna at 4:15 a.m. and the plane doors opened, a significant number of beer cans spilled to the ground.
Police say the plane's 20-year-old "pilot," Philippe Patricio, of Bethel, Connecticut, was arrested with a blood alcohol level of point-one-five -- nearly double the legal limit for driving in New York state.
His two 16-year-old passengers were not charged.
The plane was nearly out of gas when it landed, and it appeared that Patricio became lost during his time in the air.
It was unclear how he spotted the Westchester airport, which had closed for construction work five hours earlier.
Spano was incensed that the post-September Eleventh security measures in place at the Westchester airport were not duplicated at the Danbury Municipal Airport, where the single-engine Cessna 172 Skyhawk departed at about 1:30 am
A call left for comment at the administration office at Danbury Municipal Airport was not immediately returned.
Authorities were perplexed at Patricio's ability to land the plane on a small taxiway without any lights while lost and allegedly drunk.
Patricio was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated. The DWI was the result of Patricio taxiing through the airport while drunk, since there are no state laws applying to flying while intoxicated.
Westchester authorities said it appeared that Patricio may work as a part-time mechanic at the Danbury airport, and could have used an access pass to get his hands on the Cessna's keys.
"Duuuuuuude...where's th' party?"
"From another story on this: "What's more amazing about this story is that the man arrested is not even a registered pilot as far as authorities know."
He may still know how to operate and aircraft. Lack of official government sanction does not limit knowledge, that seems to be something bureaucrats can't seem to get their minds around.
All those years of video games payed off....
Any landing you walk away from is a good landing!
Now that is what you say is flying high.
This kid needs to join the military and get some discipline. He obviously has some talent.
"He may still know how to operate and aircraft."
To some extent, but even sober, it would take an act of God
for him to have made this joy ride and land in one piece,
even if he had some flight lessons.
Fly for three hours, drunk, at night, and landing on an unlit taxi strip? Amazing.
"Fly for three hours, drunk, at night, and landing on an unlit taxi strip? Amazing."
I was on duty at an FBO in Nashville one Sunday when an aircraft landed and pulled up to the flightline. The pilot got out, several beercans fell onto the tarmac and he carefully walked over to me and asked where the nearest store was. I told him and he told me to top off his tanks. I got a look inside the cockpit and it was full of beercans. He got back (by taxi) and had a sack of beer under his arm, paid me and took off. He had flown from Florida and was on his way to Indiana.
Wonder how many bathroom landings he had to make...
"Wonder how many bathroom landings he had to make..."
Probably carried a pee bottle. Jeez, that guy was such a maroon.
This is bizarre - I thought it was a repost from this news story - but no - it's ANOTHER one!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1424315/posts
for aviation ping
Please Freepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent Connecticut ping list.
When I took my introductory flight (and subsequent lessons for private license) - after a few years of flight sim on my PC - I actually found real flying, particularly landings to be easier than the flight sims! And my training was in a Piper Tomahawk, which one actually has to fly - as opposed to a Cessna, which practically flies itself.
Of course, 'results may vary', as the small print always advises.
I was only half-kidding...There are simulators for weapons training used by the military that are just "big ol' video games"...
A man can't just sit around and do nothing.
I found the same thing to be true when I took my training in a Beech T-tail.
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