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Author Topic: Idiot plane thief...you guys should enjoy this  (Read 4710 times)
TX-Rahman
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« on: March 01, 2004, 10:47:27 am »

Just read this on the Houston Chronicle...

March 1, 2004, 6:13AM

Plane thief wrecks Cessna but gets away

After breaking into 16 hangars at the Brazoria County Airport early Sunday, an unidentified suspect finally found an airplane he could steal.

But the plane thief didn't get far. The Cessna 172 crashed after the pilot flew the plane into a series of high-tension power lines about two miles southeast of the airport.

"It's just an absolute miracle that he lived," said Louis Jones, Brazoria County's aviation director. "The aircraft was, of course, totaled."

Brazoria County Sheriff's deputies, however, found only a heap of mangled metal when they arrived at the scene sometime after the 6:45 a.m. crash.

"No pilot was found at the crash site," said Lisa Block, a spokeswoman with the Texas Department of Public Service, which is investigating the theft.

Investigators followed a set of tracks leading from the crash site but no pilot was found or evidence that anyone was injured in the crash.

Investigators traced the airplane's tail number to the Brazoria County Airport. The hangar where it had been stored was empty.

"We found that several other hangars had their locks cut and at least one airplane had been pulled out," Jones said.

Except for the cut locks, there was no damage to any of the airplane hangars. The thief may have attempted to steal a more challenging Beechcraft Bonanza airplane before settling on the less demanding Cessna, an airport worker said.

Investigators questioned the owner of the Cessna later Sunday, Jones said. However, he wasn't able to shed any light on the crash.

"He knew nothing about his plane being flown," Jones said. "We're making the assumption it was stolen."

A band of heavy haze and fog that settled over the area limited visibility and may have contributed to the crash. The crash sheared off the plane's tail and folded back the wings.

"I think that plane is junk. I don't think it will fly again," Jones said. "If (the pilot) wasn't injured, at least somewhat, I would be greatly surprised. I'm surprised he wasn't killed."

The crash cut electrical power to about 11,000 customers in the Lake Jackson area. CenterPoint Energy work crews were able to divert power around the crash site and restored electricity by 9 a.m.

FBI agents have joined the investigation into the stolen airplane and also will be questioning the owners of other aircraft based at the airport, Jones said.

Although thieves sometimes steal airplanes and fly them to waiting customers in other countries, Jones couldn't recall such an incident ever occurring at the Brazoria County Airport.

"We have no idea whether it was a plane theft or maybe the guy just decided to go for a joy ride," he said.


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« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2004, 10:12:52 am »

The saga continues:March 2, 2004, 1:25AMMan who stole, crashed plane still sought Composite sketch of suspect.  A search continued Monday for a man who stole and crashed a single-engine plane in Brazoria County. The incident marked the second time this year that an airplane has been stolen in the United States, according to the Aviation Crime Prevention Institute, a private group working to eliminate aviation-related crime. "We had six thefts all of last year," said Bob Collins, the group's president. The Cessna 172 stolen Sunday morning was reduced to a pile of crumpled metal in a muddy field after the man who stole it flew into a set of power lines just south of the airport, one mile north of FM 2004 near Lake Jackson. "This guy used up all the luck he is ever going to have," Louis Jones, county aviation director, said Monday. "To hit the power lines and walk away unhurt is unbelievable." Sheriff's investigator Chris Kincheloe said detectives are pursuing numerous leads, including information provided by three motorists who saw the airplane hit the power lines. A few minutes later, the same witnesses said they saw a man walking toward Texas 288 from the crash area. Kincheloe said the man told the witnesses that two other men had crashed the airplane and walked back to the airport. "It is real farfetched," Kincheloe said of the man's story. Kincheloe said the man was described as being very thin, between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10. He had a mustache, and dark hair and dark eyes. "We just have to find the right person and line him for the witnesses," Kincheloe said. Investigators said they do not know why the man stole the aircraft from the Brazoria County Airport, but they but ruled out terrorism as a motive. Collins said that in the 1980s, hundreds of airplanes were stolen each year, usually by drug smugglers, but that the numbers have dropped drastically in recent years. "There is enough money being made that they don't have to take a chance by stealing an airplane," he said Monday. Collins said the other theft this year occurred in Florida, where a small airplane was taken and then stripped for parts. He said the motive for most thefts is either joy riding or selling parts. The airplane stolen from Brazoria County was taken from a locked hangar about 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Police said that a few minutes later, the aircraft struck the power lines 100 feet above the ground and then fell into a field. Alicia Dixon, spokeswoman for Reliant Energy, said 11,000 customers lost power. It was restored about 90 minutes later. Locks to 14 other hangars were broken, but only the Cessna 172 was stolen, Jones said. The airplane's owner told airport officials he had recently returned from a trip and the key was still in the aircraft. Jones said that only enough gasoline for about one hour of flying remained in the airplane's tanks. The owner could not be reached by the Chronicle for comment. An FBI evidence team and sheriff's deputies examined the wreckage for clues after it was brought back to a hangar. Investigators also have been examining surveillance video taken by security cameras at the airport. "We have seen it, but it's not very good," Kincheloe added.Regards,TX-Rahman"BLUE 2"
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« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2004, 09:46:03 am »

Well...from the replies on this story...I know you guys are dying to know the outcome....  Remember the sketch? Read on...The drunken fool: March 3, 2004, 6:26AMPolice say drunken birthday ended with high-flying caper Brazoria SO Louis P. Kadlecek  ANGLETON -- Louis Paul Kadlecek had never been in a plane before, but that didn't stop him. Reeling from four days of drinking to celebrate his 21st birthday, he broke into 16 hangars at the Brazoria County Airport, stole two planes and flew one into a power line, police said Tuesday. Using pilot's manuals, the unemployed tree cutter managed to taxi two planes around the airport before flying off in one early Sunday, authorities said. He didn't get very far before wrecking the aircraft, cutting off electricity to much of Clute and Lake Jackson. Kadlecek walked away unhurt -- and unidentified. But on Tuesday he was arrested, charged with theft and booked into the Brazoria County Jail. He told investigators he had been partying since last Wednesday, his 21st birthday, when he started breaking into hangars at the airport early Sunday. Brazoria County Chief Deputy Sheriff Charles Wagner said Kadlecek knew the airport layout because he had performed community service there after one of his previous arrests. Police said he managed to get one plane out of the hangar, start the engine and taxi around the airport before bringing it back, saying the plane was too complicated. He then took a two-seater Cessna from another hangar, loaded it with about 24 cans of stolen beer and started taxiing around. "The pilot's manual was out on the seat beside him," Wagner said. Once on the runway, Kadlecek told investigators, he decided "to go for it" and revved up the engine. When he thought it was going fast enough, he pulled back on the yoke and the plane took off. Wagner said he asked him where he was going and Kadlecek said, "I don't know, Mexico, maybe." The plane didn't have that much fuel. Had he tried to fly too far, he probably would have crashed, Wagner said. He got about a mile. Kadlecek told police he peered through the early morning fog and saw a set of high-tension power lines looming. The propeller chewed through the lowest wire, carrying more than 100,000 volts of electricity. "He said he saw a bright flash of light," Wagner said. Then Kadlecek said "Oh!" followed by an expletive. The plane fell 100 feet into a heap in a muddy pasture of the Wayne Scott Prison Unit. Several people saw the crash, Wagner said. One called 911 and, sure that the pilot was dead, drove off to a golf game. Others saw a man get out of the plane, walk 300 yards to Texas 288 and cross it. Kadlecek told investigators he walked about three miles to his home. From witness accounts, investigators were able to draw a composite sketch of the suspect. When the sketch hit newspapers, the sheriff's office started getting leads. Kadlecek was one of them. When county investigator Richard Foreman contacted Kadlecek and asked him to come to the sheriff's office to be in a lineup Tuesday morning, he agreed but said he didn't have a ride to get there. Foreman went to pick up Kadlecek at his home just south of Angleton and noticed that he had his toothbrush. "I've been around long enough to know that he was expecting to be in jail," Foreman said. He said he asked Kadlecek if he had anything to tell him and he hung his head and said, "I did it." Kadlecek has been arrested by the sheriff's department several times before on charges including burglary, unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license. When arrested, he was on probation for burglary, Wagner said. He was charged with felony theft in the most recent incident. Bond hadn't been set Tuesday night. If convicted, he could face two to 20 years in prison.Regards,TX-Rahman"BLUE 2"
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« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2004, 07:04:24 pm »

hey, I didn't reply but im certainly reading it!Pretty stupid. . . he is lucky hes alive.S!TX-EcoDragonBlack 1TX Squadron XO
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« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2004, 08:51:34 pm »

ECO...man good to see ya...hope everything is going good for ya...  I knew that if anyone would appreciate this story it would be you....  Hell I wanna fly...but not that bad!!  Regards,TX-Rahman"BLUE 2"
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« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2004, 10:50:35 pm »

I was going to say add some curley locks to the sketch and walla  - it could be Eco-Dragon
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« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2004, 10:46:56 am »

True, true.... but Emu wouldn't have augered in a mile from the strip!TX-Deck out.
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« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2004, 01:11:39 pm »

Good Point !TX-ChukarBlue 1
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