er340790
7th Apr 2009, 13:05
BBC:
Stolen plane lands on US highway
A small plane allegedly stolen from an airport in Ontario, Canada, has been intercepted by US fighter jets and forced to land in Missouri.
Pentagon officials said the pilot had flown erratically and did not respond to requests to establish contact.
The pursuit continued across Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois, before the single-engine aircraft landed on a highway near Ellsinore.
The pilot was taken into custody by highway patrol officers.
A spokeswoman from the US Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna 172 came from a flight school at Thunder Bay Airport, Ontario, from where it was reported stolen.
The head of the school said: "Apparently somebody jumped over the fence and just jumped into an aircraft.
"It was sitting as usual parked on the ramp. The keys are in all the aircraft because students are using them."
The aircraft was quickly intercepted by US fighter jets, but kept heading south.
The plane landed about six hours after the reported theft, and had enough fuel for about eight hours of flight, according to officials.
Stolen plane lands on US highway
A small plane allegedly stolen from an airport in Ontario, Canada, has been intercepted by US fighter jets and forced to land in Missouri.
Pentagon officials said the pilot had flown erratically and did not respond to requests to establish contact.
The pursuit continued across Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois, before the single-engine aircraft landed on a highway near Ellsinore.
The pilot was taken into custody by highway patrol officers.
A spokeswoman from the US Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna 172 came from a flight school at Thunder Bay Airport, Ontario, from where it was reported stolen.
The head of the school said: "Apparently somebody jumped over the fence and just jumped into an aircraft.
"It was sitting as usual parked on the ramp. The keys are in all the aircraft because students are using them."
The aircraft was quickly intercepted by US fighter jets, but kept heading south.
The plane landed about six hours after the reported theft, and had enough fuel for about eight hours of flight, according to officials.