Unlicensed Pilot Who Threatened 5-Hour Crash Flight in US Arrested After Landing

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] In Tupelo, Mississippi, in the U.S. Midwest, a Tupelo Aviation employee piloted a small plane without a license and flew threateningly for five hours before making an emergency landing. Immediately after landing, he was arrested by police on charges of trespassing and terror threats.

According to Tupelo local police on the 3rd (local time), at around 5:08 a.m. on the weekend, Corey Wayne Patterson, an employee who had worked at Tupelo Aviation for 10 years, secretly stole and took off alone in a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air C90A small plane that was at the airport.

Patterson was responsible for fueling the aircraft and had filled it with fuel the night before. Fifteen minutes after takeoff, he directly contacted Lee County 911 and threatened to crash into the Walmart in the West Main area. Afterwards, he circled for more than five hours over Tupelo and nearby national forests including Blue Springs and Holly Springs. Tupelo police stated in a briefing that Patterson does not have a pilot’s license but is believed to have received some flight training.

To prepare for the incident, authorities issued evacuation orders, closing all nearby stores including Walmart, and completely blocked roads. Police negotiators maintained communication with Patterson to persuade him to land. Upon learning of the incident, police disclosed the threatening flight on social media and warned, "Based on the aircraft’s movements, the danger zone is broader than just Tupelo."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Patterson reportedly posted on Facebook during the flight. Police said, "It was essentially a farewell message. At that point, it was noticed that the aircraft’s fuel was nearly depleted."

Eventually, Patterson turned the plane north and made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Ripley at around 10:20 a.m. A witness told CNN that after hearing the plane’s sound, they took shelter underground and described hearing a "rather rough landing." The aircraft was reported to be almost undamaged.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves tweeted at around 10:30 a.m., "No one was hurt and the situation has been resolved," signaling the end of the incident. Authorities are focusing on investigating the motive behind the threatening flight, with local authorities as well as federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and FAA participating in the investigation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.