Miss. stolen-plane scare involves crash threat
RIPLEY, Miss. — 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.
Cory Wayne Patterson, 29, was uninjured after the rough landing shortly after posting a goodbye message to his parents and sister on Facebook, authorities said at a news conference. The message said he “never actually wanted to hurt anyone.”
After an anxious morning of watching the plane’s meandering path overhead, Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan called the resolution “the best-case scenario.”
No one was injured. Patterson was employed fueling planes at Tupelo Regional Airport, giving him access to the Beechcraft King Air C90A, police Chief John Quaka said.
It was not immediately known why, shortly after 5 a.m., the 10-year Tupelo Aviation employee took off in the fully-fueled plane. Fifteen minutes later, Patterson called a Lee County 911 dispatcher to say he planned to crash into a Tupelo Walmart, Quaka said.
“This is more likely a crime of opportunity,” said Quaka, adding the tower isn’t staffed until 6 a.m.
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, authorities said.
A negotiator reestablished contact around 10 a.m., and learned Patterson had landed in a field and was uninjured, Quaka said. The plane landed near Ripley, about 45 miles northwest of Tupelo.
“There’s damage but believe it or not, the aircraft is intact,” the chief said.
Patterson, whose Facebook page said he is from Shannon, south of Tupelo, was charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats. Police said Patterson is not believed to be a licensed pilot but has some flight instruction.
Jordan said he hopes Patterson “will get the help he needs.”