Confed College Plane Goes Missing

[FighterPilot]

http://www.tbtv.com/News-Story.aspx?cid=6826

[pilotman15]

Beat me to it

[chippy]

Unconfirmed that it was a second year student and he was intercepted by two F-16's inside U.S. airspace?

http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/

[Just another canuck]

Wow... they figure it was a student. I know they have a big exam at the end of every semester... maybe they flunked out and this was their payback. Oops, I'm speculating...

[tvguru]

Does that mean they had their transponder on?!!!!

[Rudder Bug]

I know they have a big exam at the end of every semester

Or a big party?

[CGZMT]

Wonder if they at least filed a flight plan?

[Just another canuck]

Wonder what the fack they were thinking??? They obviously didn't stop and consider the shit storm they were entering.

[LifeJet]

http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp? ... menu1362_2

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Capitol evacuation over, stolen Cessna stolen from Canada now in U.S

Posted: April 6, 2009 06:46 PM EDT

UPDATE (WKOW) --- Capitol Police say the Capitol is safe and the evacuation is now over.

Reports in Thunder Bay, Canada say that an airplane was stolen from the Confederation College's hangar at the Thunder Bay airport.

*******

MADISON (WKOW) --- The Capitol in Madison has been evacuated according to the Dane County Sheriffs office.

The FAA reports that a Cessna 172 may have been stolen from Thunder Bay, Canada.

They last saw the plane headed south towards the U.S.

Earlier today police and firefighters were called to Mosinee by the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration to prepare for a possible forced landing.

FBI and TSA tried to make contact with the pilot, but they did not respond.

We have a crew headed to the Capitol now and we will bring you more information as it is available on wkowtv.com along with 27 News at 6, 6:30, and 10.

[LifeJet]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi- ... 6883.story

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F-16s following stolen plane
By ROBERT IMRIE | Associated Press Writer
6:18 PM CDT, April 6, 2009
WAUSAU, Wis. - Two F-16 fighters were dispatched Monday to track a single-engine plane over Wisconsin that was believed stolen in Canada by a student pilot, authorities said. The incident caused the Wisconsin Capitol in Madison to be evacuated as a precaution.

Mike Kucharek, spokesman for the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado, said that by 5:30 p.m., the Cessna 172 had flown south of Madison and was headed southwest.

Kucharek said the plane was stolen from Thunder Bay, Ontario, about 2:30 p.m. and the pilot had been flying eratically and had not communicated with the fighter pilots, who intercepted the plane at the Michigan-Wisconsin border.

The pilot had acknowledged seeing the F-16s but he had not obeyed their nonverbal commands to follow them, Kucharek said in a telephone interview from Colorado Springs.



Kucharek said the plane was not believed to be a terrorist threat.

It was unknown how much fuel was in the plane or how much training the student pilot has acquired, Kucharek said. The Web site cessna.com indicated the Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seater with a range of about 790 miles and top speed of 141 mph.

In Madison, Department of Justice spokesman Bill Cosh said the state Capitol building was evacuated shortly after 5 p.m. as a precaution because of the airplane.

Many workers had already left for the day. Gov. Jim Doyle was not in the building. He had been in Chicago Monday.

Capitol police ordered everyone out of the building and told them to go at least a block away from the building. Police cars with sirens drove on the sidewalks by the doors of the Capitol. Others drove on the streets of the Capitol square, telling people to move away.

People were allowed back in the building about an hour later.

------

AP writer Todd Richmond in Madison contributed to this report.

[Just another canuck]

The pilot had acknowledged seeing the F-16s but he had not obeyed their nonverbal commands to follow them

WOW!!!

pilot had been flying eratically and had not communicated with the fighter pilots,

WTF

It was unknown how much fuel was in the plane or how much training the student pilot has acquired

They fill them up at the end of every day (when done for day), so most likely full fuel... and I would say the pilot had around 70 hours at this time... maybe a little more.

[AUGER9]

It was unknown how much fuel was in the plane or how much training the student pilot has acquired

They fill them up at the end of every day (when done for day), so most likely full fuel... and I would say the pilot had around 70 hours at this time... maybe a little more.[/quote]

If the plane was taken at 3, it probably wasn't done for the day yet. However, their planes are never left with less than half tanks, which in that plane is 25 gallons.

[Rudder Bug]

Is it still airborne?

[Just another canuck]

It was unknown how much fuel was in the plane or how much training the student pilot has acquired

They fill them up at the end of every day (when done for day), so most likely full fuel... and I would say the pilot had around 70 hours at this time... maybe a little more.

If the plane was taken at 3, it probably wasn't done for the day yet. However, their planes are never left with less than half tanks, which in that plane is 25 gallons.


[/quote]

You're right, but thinking about and if I remember correctly, they fill them at noon as well after the two morning flights. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Where's the next update? I'm not one to go searching on my own.

[N2]

Shoot it down!

[C-FABH]

I'd like to see a couple F-16s in formation with a Cessna... that'd make my day

[Doc]

Would this count as a 350 mile cross country? He'll have to get his log book signed, of course. This will look interesting on a resume!

[ScudRunner]

lol I always knew Thunder Bay was a terrorist hot bed!!! And some how I just knew Madison Wisconsin would be the next Al Qaeda hit list. Derka Derka Allah?

[mcconnell14]

what a dipshit. its 8:46 eastern..is anyone here anything recently? is he stil airborne? calling him a "terrorist threat" someones had a major brain cramp.

the keys left in the planes? really? Dumb idea IMO,

[Redneck_pilot86]

mohammed jihad

[Just another canuck]

the keys left in the planes? really? Dumb idea IMO,

Not left in the planes, but conveniently hanging on the wall... at least at the old hangar. He/she also could have been scheduled for a flight and just chose not to come back, but instead to head south. Maybe he/she was cold.

[chippy]

UPDATE (WKOW) --- The FAA says the plane is now in Illinois close to St. Louis. They are still keeping a close eye on it and trying to get the plane to land.

Heard that the plane was taken from the ramp without anyone at the college knowing what was happening. Tower tried to reach the pilot and then got service trucks to try and chase him down before he took off.

Check the Live ATC between 1830-1900Z.

[AUGER9]

what a dipshit. its 8:46 eastern..is anyone here anything recently? is he stil airborne? calling him a "terrorist threat" someones had a major brain cramp.

the keys left in the planes? really? Dumb idea IMO,

The college apron is a ways away from anything. The prospect of someone managing to steal a plane normally wouldn't be something to worry about. Im sure they'll be changing the rules after this though.


It's gotta be out of fuel soon...

[mcconnell14]

the keys left in the planes? really? Dumb idea IMO,

Not left in the planes, but conveniently hanging on the wall... at least at the old hangar. He/she also could have been scheduled for a flight and just chose not to come back, but instead to head south. Maybe he/she was cold.

“Apparently somebody jumped over the fence and just jumped into an aircraft,” she said. “It was sitting as usual parked on the ramp. They keys are in all the aircrafts because students are using them.”


sounds like they were IN the plane.

[AUGER9]

It's on the news right now. The plane had 7 hours of fuel when he left.