- fter flying erratically for many hours and making threats to crash into a Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Saturday morning,
- According to Connie Strickland, a dispatcher for the Benton County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi, the aircraft made an emergency landing in Benton County
- The pilot was brought into custody without incident.
After flying erratically for many hours and making threats to crash into a Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Saturday morning, the pilot made a field landing and was apprehended, according to authorities.
According to Connie Strickland, a dispatcher for the Benton County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi, the aircraft made an emergency landing in Benton County, which is located approximately 50 miles northwest of Tupelo. The pilot was brought into custody without incident.
The pilot was identified as Cory Patterson at a press conference by Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka. Patterson was accused of grand theft and making terroristic threats.
Although Mr. Patterson had some prior flight experience, the authorities insisted that they did not think he held a valid pilot’s license. According to aviation records, Mr. Patterson has been forbidden from transporting people since he was deemed a “student pilot” in 2013.
The authorities outlined the sequence of events, which they claim started shortly after 5 a.m. when Mr. Patterson allegedly boarded a Beechcraft King Air C90 at Tupelo Regional Airport. There was just him in the aircraft. On Saturday, no one from the airport was readily available.
Just before 5:30 a.m., Mr. Patterson contacted 911 and threatened to deliberately crash into a Walmart in Tupelo. This caused the police to order the evacuation of the shop and the neighborhood while he flew over and around the city. Negotiators encouraged the pilot to avoid a collision after speaking with him directly by the police.
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