A pilot threatened to crash into a Mississippi Walmart on Saturday morning. The man, Cory Patterson, had some pilot training but was not a licensed pilot. He went into the Tupelo Regional Airport at about 5:30 in the morning and got access to an aircraft. He was alone in the plane and he took it into the air and began flying erratically
Mr. Patterson worked at Tupelo Aviation Unlimited for 10 years fueling aircrafts, so he had access to the airport and planes,
While flying, he called 911 and threatened to crash his aircraft into the Tupelo Walmart. Tupelo authorities quickly evacuated the Walmart and areas nearby where the pilot was threatening to land. They then arranged contact with the pilot and began negotiations with him to change his mind about his plans and to help him land the plane safely. Patterson did have some flight experience but he did not have enough skill to land the plane, and a pilot had to join the negotiations in order to help him get to land safely.
Negotiators were able to direct the pilot to the Tupelo airport but when he was within 100 feet of landing, he decided to take off in another direction. He continued to fly the plane but began to run out of fuel, at which point, strangely, he posted on Facebook and said his farewells. Meanwhile the negotiators had lost contact with him but managed to reconnect after 10:00 AM, at which point they found out that he had landed the plane safely in a field in Benton County, about 50 miles northwest of Tupelo, and he was uninjured, although the plane was damaged.
Patterson was taken into custody after being found.
Todd Jordan, the mayor of Tupelo, said, “It’s never a good thing” when he gets a very earning morning phone call from the police and fire chief. He was relieved that the situation was not worse.
The motive for the man’s behavior is unclear but police are investigating now that he is in custody. He was arrested for stealing the plane and for making terrorist threats. Federal charges are expected.
The incident was a threat to the entire city of Tupelo and surrounding areas, as the pilot was out of control flying high and low, going in circles and jagging the aircraft in different directions up in the air over the city.
