Stolen plane triggers US alert.

Only two years for all that inconvenience and possible tragedy!:D

Wayward Pilot Sentenced To Two Years For Airplane Theft

When Adam Leon, 31, took off from an Ontario flight school in a stolen Cessna 172 last April and flew across the border into the U.S., it was an act of desperation — he was suicidal and hoping that he would be shot down, his lawyer said. But this week, a federal court in St. Louis sentenced Leon to two years in prison. “This is very serious,” U.S. District Judge Charles Shaw said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “Under the guidelines, this is treated like a stolen car…. I think this is an extraordinary situation in terms of cost and the hours involved.” After Leon crossed the border without permission, the airplane was pursued by two F-16s as well as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection airplane.

Leon was a student at a flight school in Thunder Bay, and used his student key card to gain access to the airplane, without authorization. When the fighters didn’t shoot him down and the airplane ran low on fuel, Leon said, he looked for an airport but couldn’t find one, so he landed on a rural road. He was arrested by the highway patrol. Leon also said he regretted his actions. “I wanted to end my life,” he said, “but God gave me a second chance.”

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/1506-full.html#201453

Could be, but I doubt it. His timing is far too suspicious for that. I was born..but I wasn’t born yesterday. 🙂

I’m not sure waiting for an F-16 to tear your plane apart with 20mm cannon fire or AAM up your backside is any easier than pointing plane at the ground or doing something else stupid with a GA aircraft (continued flight into IMC if you’re not rated, running out of fuel, drinking & flying, going under a bridge)….the list is endless.

I’m aware of the dangerous things involved with flying as I do fly myself. However, had he crashed the plane into a building himself it could of been a statement anyway and cause controversy whatever way you look at it.

The trouble is we could debate this on here but its pointless because hes already stated his reasons and whether or not its the truth only he knows.

Strange one. Maybe hes just really depressed. He said he wanted to commit suicide but didnt have it in him to do it himself and wanted to be shot down instead.. 😮

Could be, but I doubt it. His timing is far too suspicious for that. I was born..but I wasn’t born yesterday. 🙂

I’m not sure waiting for an F-16 to tear your plane apart with 20mm cannon fire or AAM up your backside is any easier than pointing plane at the ground or doing something else stupid with a GA aircraft (continued flight into IMC if you’re not rated, running out of fuel, drinking & flying, going under a bridge)….the list is endless.

Strange one. Maybe hes just really depressed. He said he wanted to commit suicide but didnt have it in him to do it himself and wanted to be shot down instead.. 😮

It’s now reported that the pilot, a recent Canadian citizen originally from Turkey, wanted to commit suicide and thought U.S. fighters would shoot him down.

He was escorted by Wisconsin ANG F-16s but they weren’t about to shoot him down unless he was a serious threat.

Note to pilots…if you want to get shot down in an unarmed aircraft try Russia (shot down various unarmed lost transports as well as a few recon planes) or Cuba (anti-communist pilots flying Cessna Super Skymasters).

However, this does show that suicide by GA is alive and well and happens more often than we might think.

Also, perhaps the guy also wanted to create an international incident.
Obama is in Turkey and it wouldn’t have looked good, U.S. fighters shooting down an “innocent lost” Turk/Canadian while BO was in the country. The Islamic press would have had a field day.
Nowdays, nothing happens in a vacuum.