U.S. F-16s following plane stolen in Thunder Bay, Ontario

[+ext 52]

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090406/...da_stolen_plane

 

Its all over our news here! We are 1 hour to the border, 6 hours north of Minneapolis (driving time) and now he is near St Louis. That is scary stuff in this day and age!

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

I'd stop and wave at an F-106 pilot.

[MigBuster 2,884]

cheeky get - Cant have been fun flying at near stalling speed!

[DWCAce 19]

This is not good for GA....... Freaking idiot...

[MigBuster 2,884]

From http://www.f-16.net/news_article3358.html

 

April 6, 2009 (by Asif Shamim) - F-16s from 176 FS scrambled by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) intercepted and chased a stolen Cessna 172 over three US states before the pilot landed on a highway in Missouri and ran away.

 

The pilot, Adam Leon, 31, stole a Cessna from a Canadian flight school in Thunder Bay, Ontario around 1430h local time before crossing into American airspace, prompting a response from NORAD.

 

F-16s from the Madison based 176th Fighter Squadron scrambled to intercept Leon at the Michigan-Wisconsin border but he refused to respond to their commands to land, and then the chase continued over Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois before the Cessna finally touched down at Ellismore, Missouri.

 

As the plane neared Dane County, the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in Madison was evacuated.

 

 

Mr Leon's plane had enough fuel for an eight hour flight, according to Mike Kucharek, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado.

 

He was flying erratically, and although he acknowledged seeing the F-16s he refused to obey their non-verbal commands to follow them, said Mr Kucharek.

 

After crossing into Missouri, the Cessna landed on a stretch of US Highway 60 near Ellsinore in Clark County around 2200h local time. Leon fled on foot, according to the Clark County Sheriff's Department, but was apprehended after about thirty minutes at a local grocery store.

 

"We tailed it all the way," Maj. Brian Markin said. "Once it landed our aircraft returned to base."

[Silverbolt 104]

i think those falcons should got an police star

 

 

sadly it happended the same 4 weeks ago here, 150 km away from here... one medic with his daughter....he spranked his wife till death, that's because she wasn't in the plane.

 

the pilot got some lessosn in FS, than stole the plane with a gun in an airclub 30km away from here, it was one EMB 712.

 

he was intercepted in route to another city by an Mirage 2000, than one T-27 Tucano took the interception.

 

the plane wasn't shooted down and the pilot did low and dangerous flybys between the buildings untill he crash in a shopping mall parking.

 

the pilot and passager(daughter) die. luckly nobody else was involved.

 

 

 

[Lexx_Luthor 57]

Years ago a private flight school I trained at left keys in the Cessnas at night, planes ready to fly. I thought it was dumb at the time. Have people who rent the planes drop the key in a secure drop box or something at least. But hey, used to be people in many parts could leave front doors unlocked all the time so lala.

[Badger Lead 0]

Can you imagine trying to keep an F-16 airborne following a Cessna at 100 knots? guys must have had full flaps, throttles at idle, the whole works just trying to stay in the air. Mad skills for the Wisconsin ANG.

[Silverbolt 104]

Can you imagine trying to keep an F-16 airborne following a Cessna at 100 knots? guys must have had full flaps, throttles at idle, the whole works just trying to stay in the air. Mad skills for the Wisconsin ANG.

 

Don't want to hijack the thread but can you imagine an Delta trying to do this? poor performance at low speed and altitude...at leas suicide

[macelena 1,070]

If i got a "renegade" ignoring orders, all after he stole the aircraft, i would have downed it before overflying any city

[+GrinchWSLG 24]

If i got a "renegade" ignoring orders, all after he stole the aircraft, i would have downed it before overflying any city

 

I'm glad you're so willing to take a civilian life that hasn't actually endangered anyone aside from himself. This isn't a 747, its a little Cessna, take it easy Maverick.

[Jeremiah Weed 0]

If i got a "renegade" ignoring orders, all after he stole the aircraft, i would have downed it before overflying any city

 

Why? There is no reason to shoot down a stolen Cessna 172. Are you going to take out stolen cars with AGM-65s because they refuse to stop?

[JediMaster 451]

Jets don't fly formation with little planes like that. They make passes back and forth, circling it and crossing it.

 

I saw that happen here in 2004 when the President was in town and some shmo flying VFR along I-95 passed within 1/4 mile of the stadium he was in. Watching a little tail-dragger doing no more than 80 getting buzzed by 2 F-16s was quite a sight.

[+bpao 2]

Don't want to hijack the thread but can you imagine an Delta trying to do this? poor performance at low speed and altitude...at leas suicide

 

Mirage 2000 can do that (they did it many time for sky police) , but not a slick delta, they have slats, fly by wire and a good engine

 

[commander 0]

Are you going to take out stolen cars with AGM-65s because they refuse to stop?

 

Yes

[+Jarhead1 27]

In california, especially LA in some parts, thats the only way to get them to stop, lol.

[Guest ruhzyo]

Why? There is no reason to shoot down a stolen Cessna 172. Are you going to take out stolen cars with AGM-65s because they refuse to stop?

If they're full of chit, yeah.

[Guest ruhzyo]

Was it 'nuts of steel'? Prolic not.

[i90807065 0]

Are you going to take out stolen cars with AGM-65s because they refuse to stop?

 

 

Yes, its "theft prevention"

[Rambler 1-1 9]

wasn't there a JAG episode where some F-18s intercept a 172 that's flying towards an american ship or something, and they down it with guns? Sorta like this.

 

I imagine that the F-16s proably set up an orbit or something so that there was always one closing on the 172 from behind, to avoid having to fly at stall speed.

[Piloto 3]

It seems to be some kinda fever these days....couple of weeks ago a plane like that invaded Spanish airspace beeing scrambled by NATINADS a pair of Typhoons that folowed her to Portuguese airspace where F-16´s where expecting her...after long "reasoning" the plane beeing forced to land in an local airstrip and the pilot got away on foot.

Aparently the Cessna was stolen in Morroco.

[macelena 1,070]

Why? There is no reason to shoot down a stolen Cessna 172. Are you going to take out stolen cars with AGM-65s because they refuse to stop?

 

 

Perhaps these are to expensive try GAU-8

[macelena 1,070]

It seems to be some kinda fever these days....couple of weeks ago a plane like that invaded Spanish airspace beeing scrambled by NATINADS a pair of Typhoons that folowed her to Portuguese airspace where F-16´s where expecting her...after long "reasoning" the plane beeing forced to land in an local airstrip and the pilot got away on foot.

Aparently the Cessna was stolen in Morroco.

 

Drug smugglers. Mirage F-1 had really a lot of trouble following those