Pilot threatening to crash stolen plane into a Walmart store in US city lands safely, says Mississippi Governor
WASHINGTON: A pilot, who was circling a stolen airplane for hours over Tupelo, a city in the state of Mississippi in the US, and threatened to intentionally crash it into a Walmart store has been taken into custody after he landed the aircraft safely, Governor Tate Reeves said on Saturday.
Mississippi Governor Reeves announced on Twitter that the "situation has been resolved and that no one was injured."
"The plane over North MS is down. Thankful the situation has been resolved and that no one was injured. Thank you most of all to local, state, and federal law enforcement who managed this situation with extreme professionalism," Reeves said in a tweet.
The pilot was taken into police custody, authorities said.
The nine-seater airplane started circling over Tupelo, Mississippi, about 5 am local time, when the pilot made contact with 911, issuing the threat, according to CNN.
It was airborne for more than five hours, which police described as a "dangerous situation."
About 8:30 am local time, the plane was north of Tupelo, police said.
A government source said the aircraft was later flying over the Holly Springs National Forest, CNN reported.
A reporter of local television station WTVA showed footage of the plane perched in a field, according to the BBC.
The Daily Journal, a local newspaper, reported that the pilot of the plane is an employee of Tupelo Regional Airport.
Authorities believe the aircraft, a Beechcraft King Air C90A, was stolen.
An online flight tracking service showed the plane meandering in the sky for several hours and following a looping path.
Details of the conversation between the pilot and police while he was in the air, or his identity, were not immediately made public, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, the Walmart and another nearby store were earlier evacuated by security officials, while citizens were asked to avoid the area.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it "is aware and is coordinating with local law enforcement," the agency told CNN Saturday.