VFR on Top
Dorkprop Driver
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2001
- Posts
- 306
(CNN) -- A pilot suspected of flying while intoxicated erratically maneuvered his single-engine plane around Philadelphia airspace Thursday evening for over three hours before being escorted down by a police helicopter, local officials said.
The pilot of the Piper Cherokee aircraft "came down on his own volition" at Pottsdown Limerick Airport, where his aircraft is based, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia, according to the airport's manager, Mike D'Aries.
"From what they can determine, it was pretty obvious that when he landed he was pretty intoxicated," D'Aries said.
The pilot, from Limerick Township, is being held by Limerick police who are awaiting blood test results to determine if he was intoxicated, D'Aries said. He will face federal charges if the blood tests indicate he was intoxicated while flying, D'Aries said.
The pilot, who was not identified, owned the aircraft, which was licensed to a business he owned, according to D'Aries.
At one point, the pilot flew into the airspace of Philadelphia International Airport without clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration, according to FAA spokesman Jim Peters.
"Normally if you are piloting out, all you do is you call us and say 'I'd like to proceed in this airspace,'" Peters said. "He didn't do that."
Controllers at Philadelphia International Airport made radio contact with the pilot and offered to clear him to land, but "instead of landing, he flew elsewhere," Peters said.
He took off around 6:45 p.m. before he was escorted down by the Philadelphia police aviation unit at 10:17 p.m., Peters said.
The pilot faces two citations from the FAA for flying through Class B controlled airspace -- airspace around a major airport -- without FAA approval. The FAA is launching an investigation of the incident, and the pilot could have his license suspended or revoked.
The pilot of the Piper Cherokee aircraft "came down on his own volition" at Pottsdown Limerick Airport, where his aircraft is based, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia, according to the airport's manager, Mike D'Aries.
"From what they can determine, it was pretty obvious that when he landed he was pretty intoxicated," D'Aries said.
The pilot, from Limerick Township, is being held by Limerick police who are awaiting blood test results to determine if he was intoxicated, D'Aries said. He will face federal charges if the blood tests indicate he was intoxicated while flying, D'Aries said.
The pilot, who was not identified, owned the aircraft, which was licensed to a business he owned, according to D'Aries.
At one point, the pilot flew into the airspace of Philadelphia International Airport without clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration, according to FAA spokesman Jim Peters.
"Normally if you are piloting out, all you do is you call us and say 'I'd like to proceed in this airspace,'" Peters said. "He didn't do that."
Controllers at Philadelphia International Airport made radio contact with the pilot and offered to clear him to land, but "instead of landing, he flew elsewhere," Peters said.
He took off around 6:45 p.m. before he was escorted down by the Philadelphia police aviation unit at 10:17 p.m., Peters said.
The pilot faces two citations from the FAA for flying through Class B controlled airspace -- airspace around a major airport -- without FAA approval. The FAA is launching an investigation of the incident, and the pilot could have his license suspended or revoked.
