Pilot Missing After Shuttle No-Fly Zone Incursion

[User546]

Our hero in the Piper Cub!

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/07/28/shuttle.plane/index.html

Small plane enters shuttle no-fly zone
Pilot disappears after being forced to land

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The pilot of a small plane that penetrated the no-fly zone around Kennedy Space Center shortly before the space shuttle's launch Tuesday disappeared after being forced to land, Air Force officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, the officials said Thursday.

The civilian Piper Cub had gotten within 20 miles of the launch site just three minutes before Discovery's liftoff before being intercepted by two Air Force F-16s.

That means the small plane had penetrated half of the 40-mile temporary no-fly radius set up by the FAA.

The fighters were flying security patrol and deployed three flares to get the pilot's attention, the officials said.

The fighters escorted the plane to an airport about 50 miles north of Kennedy Space Center, they said.

When law enforcement officers got to the airport, the aircraft was on the ground, but the pilot was gone, the officials said.

 

[Floyd R. Turbo]

Dibs on the plane!

He won't need it anymore.......

 

[uh60james]

I would have took off too! LOL

 

[FN FAL]

Must be a white guy, they keep calling him/her "pilot" and not "suspect".

 

[TDTURBO]

I thought I noticed an extra 2 hrs on the hobbs, someone must have stole my cub and returned it. I swear it wasn't me.

 

[FN FAL]

I thought I noticed an extra 2 hrs on the hobbs, someone must have stole my cub and returned it. I swear it wasn't me.

I think he's going to need one hell of an "alibi" for this one!

 

[TDTURBO]

I think he's going to need one hell of an "alibi" for this one!

I think his best move was to bail and put the burden of proof on the feds, smart move as I see it. Get a good lawyer and admit nothing. Especially since those things are so easy to steal.

What would you have done?

Saying you wouldn't have been there in the first place doesn't count.

 

[Vector4fun]

Many, many years ago, I had a student pilot in a C150 blunder onto a runway in front of a Diamond jet touching down. (The Diamond rolled right past him on the runway, whew!) Student completely freaked, refused to answer any radio calls, taxied at high speed back to ramp, jumped out and hot-footed it to car and home.


I don't think he ever came back to the airport again. Sad really, because back in those days, we'd have just chewed his butt for 10 minutes, made sure his instructor got him some remedial, and probably just let it drop.

That's not likely in this case though.....

 

[FN FAL]

I think his best move was to bail and put the burden of proof on the feds, smart move as I see it. Get a good lawyer and admit nothing. Especially since those things are so easy to steal.

What would you have done?

Saying you wouldn't have been there in the first place doesn't count.

That's a tough question to answer.

 

[TDTURBO]

That's a tough question to answer.

If it weren't a public forum, I bet I know what the answer would be.

 

[Floyd R. Turbo]

I think his best move was to bail and put the burden of proof on the feds, smart move as I see it. Get a good lawyer and admit nothing.

Ah yes, the Bart Simpson Defense--I didn't do it, no one saw me do it, you can't prove anything. Or, as Johnny Cochran would say, "With an empty cockpit, you must acquit!"

I hope it works for him. I also hope the other pilots where ever he is based get together and throw him a first class blanket party for being such an idiot. There are plenty of people who would like to ban or severely restrict GA, and morons like this and the DC ADIZ busters give them the ammo they need to do it. There is no excuse for flying around central Florida on a launch day and not knowing and complying with the restrictions. None. Same with the Presidential ADIZ and TFRs. You can argue their effectiveness 'til the cows come home, but they aren't going away.

 

[FN FAL]

Ah yes, the Bart Simpson Defense--I didn't do it, no one saw me do it, you can't prove anything. Or, as Johnny Cochran would say, "With an empty cockpit, you must acquit!"

I hope it works for him. I also hope the other pilots where ever he is based get together and throw him a first class blanket party for being such an idiot. There are plenty of people who would like to ban or severely restrict GA, and morons like this and the DC ADIZ busters give them the ammo they need to do it. There is no excuse for flying around central Florida on a launch day and not knowing and complying with the restrictions. None. Same with the Presidential ADIZ and TFRs. You can argue their effectiveness 'til the cows come home, but they aren't going away.

I say, lets make the "no-fly" zones a hundred miles and bust all them terroristers.

 

[MTpilot]

It's time to start shooting these idiots down!

 

[Bryan D]

I think his best move was to bail and put the burden of proof on the feds, smart move as I see it. Get a good lawyer and admit nothing. Especially since those things are so easy to steal..

This seems dishonest to me. Kind of like the hit and run traffic accidents that are so common today, most involving death. It seems more people are willing to run from their mistakes than in the past. What does this say about their character as a person or more importantly as a pilot? Would you want this guy as a crewmember?

 

[FN FAL]

This seems dishonest to me. Kind of like the hit and run traffic accidents that are so common today, most involving death.

What does dentation have to do with penetration?

 

[jumppilot]

This seems dishonest to me. Kind of like the hit and run traffic accidents that are so common today, most involving death.

Yeah, exactly like that.

 

[PureMuscle]

Wouldn't the FAA be able to track down the pilot using simple information though. I don't know if he took everything out of the plane, but looking at the registration or maybe a maintenace record book from wherever he rented the plane if he doesn't own it could be helpful. I doubt he was from far away, and probabaly rented it from a flight school near there. I think he should have just stayed by the plane.

 

[ISaidRightTurns]

I agree with the previous posts. Land, run and act surprised. Admit nothing. Would be very difficult to prove. Anyone know which a/p it was? Creek?

 

[T-REX]

Fast Food Defense would probably work in Florida. Countersue Em! Airplanes are inherently unsafe and it is the FAA's fault for putting you in danger.

Seriously though didn't they just suspend the guy that flew over the White House for 6 mos. This seems less serious than that.

 

[Fly_Chick]

I agree with the previous posts. Land, run and act surprised. Admit nothing. Would be very difficult to prove. Anyone know which a/p it was? Creek?

http://www.wesh.com/news/4776186/detail.html

During the space shuttle Discovery's return to flight Tuesday, a pilot flew into restricted air space over Brevard County.


The restricted air space extended 30 miles from the launch pad, and F-16 fighter jets had to chase the plane out, WESH 2 News reported.


According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the plane was co-owned by Robert Snider, of Zellwood. The FAA said Snider was not behind the plane's controls on Tuesday, but that it now knows who was.


The F-16 pilots had difficulty getting the pilot's attention. Many people on the ground also witnessed the incident.

"The fighter pilot flew real close to the Cessna," said Lt. Roy Bruce of the DeLand Fire Department. "He came around and buzzed him twice."


According to the FAA, the pilot was told to land at the private Deep Woods Ranch airstrip in Lake County. By the time police arrived, the pilot and the plane had left.


Authorities eventually found the plane at a nearby airport in Eustis, where the pilot apparently landed, refueled, parked in the hangar and went home.


"I couldn't believe it," said John Oklesen, the Mid-Florida Airport Manager. "They almost canceled the launch. He got within 20 miles of the launch site."


WESH spoke to the pilot's son, who said his father was cooperating with the FAA. Another source said it is possible that the pilot was no longer allowed to fly due to medical reasons. If so, the pilot could face disciplinary action.