An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

CONR jets respond to stolen aircraft

  • Published
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Synchronized efforts between military and civilian authorities yesterday led to the apprehension of a pilot who allegedly stole an airplane in Canada and landed it in the United States several hours later.

The civilian aircraft departed Thunder Bay, Ontario without Navigation Canada authority and was reported as stolen. The small plane entered U.S. airspace from the north and was headed south towards the U.S. border.

The plane was tracked as a "flight safety issue" and was not believed to be a terrorist threat, said a spokesman at North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Continental U.S. NORAD Region's Northeast Air Defense Sector in Rome, N.Y., initially scrambled two F-16 Fighting Falcons from Minnesota Air National Guard's 148th Fighter Wing, based in Duluth. They intercepted the aircraft over Lake Superior.

After the intercept, F-16 pilots said the civilian pilot acknowledged the fighters but was unresponsive to specific non-verbal commands. As the pursuit continued south, the Minnesota jets were replaced by F-16s from Wisconsin's 115th Fighter Wing, a Guard unit based in Madison. They were about to hand -off the pursuit to F-15s from the 159th FW based in New Orleans when the plane landed.

An Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotanker from the 117th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham, Ala., scrambled to provide aerial refueling support to the pursuing fighters.

U.S. Customs Border Protection aircraft intercepted the Cessna as well; however, the F-16s followed the aircraft until it landed in an area 23 miles northwest of Poplar Bluff, Mo., about six hours later.

"I'm extremely proud of how everyone handled this situation, by both the military and civilian agencies involved," said Maj. Gen. Hank Morrow, CONR commander. "It reflects the close interagency relationship we share with the many federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and solidifies our charter mission of homeland defense."

The Air & Marine Operations Center in Riverside, Calif., monitored the entire chase by radar and coordinated communications between the pilots in the sky and law enforcement agencies on the ground.

"As the nation's air security law enforcement center, AMOC has a strong partnership with NORAD in securing the nation's skies," said Tony Crowder, AMOC Director. "The interdiction event was handled in perfect harmony with CONR as has been practiced for decades, and it was textbook coordination in accordance with our interagency procedures. The blending of the law enforcement and defense mission is nothing new; the public simply doesn't see it every day."

The Missouri Highway Patrol later took the 31-year old pilot into custody and turned him over to U.S. immigration officials. He is being held on suspicion of entering the U.S. illegally, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.