ATLANTA – A student pilot has pleaded guilty in federal court in Macon to stealing a private plane from an airport in Perry and flying it to North Carolina and back.
Rufus Crane, 27, of Coconut Creek, Fla., faces up to 10 years in prison on one count of interstate transportation of stolen aircraft. He also could receive up to three years of supervised release following his prison term and a maximum fine of $250,000.
According to court documents and testimony, Crane stole a Bonanza A-36 aircraft and – without the required flying credentials – flew it to an airport in Waxhaw, N.C., last month. After stopping to refuel in South Carolina, he headed back toward Perry.
However, he could not land safely because fog in the area was too heavy for him to see the runway. Instead, he flew to an airport in Cochran, where he refueled before landing the stolen aircraft back in Perry. Because of the fog, Crane operated the aircraft using instruments and navigation aids instead of visual cues.
In addition to not having permission to fly the aircraft, Crane possessed only a student pilot certificate. During the flights, which took place in the middle of the night, he kept the planeÐÔÊӽ紫ý transponder turned off, so the plane did not send signals to air traffic controllers to provide information on the aircraftÐÔÊӽ紫ý location, altitude, and speed.
“The defendant put his own life and the lives of others at risk, despite not being fully trained or holding a pilotÐÔÊӽ紫ý license,†Acting ÐÔÊӽ紫ý Attorney C. Shanelle Booker said Wednesday. “The regulations governing our nationÐÔÊӽ紫ý airspace are designed to ensure the safety of everyone. Those who disregard federal law will be held accountable.â€
The case was investigated by the ÐÔÊӽ紫ý ÐÔÊӽ紫ý of Transportation and the Perry Police ÐÔÊӽ紫ý with assistance from the Federal Aviation Commission.
Crane is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 17.
Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.