A 38-year-old man from Pomona, California, named Christian Estoque, is facing federal charges after investigators say he spent January flying stolen or unregistered aircraft between Washington state and Southern California. The crimes? He allegedly did so without a pilot’s license, which is bad, and while high on methamphetamine, which is even worse (and impressive).
According to a federal criminal complaint, the case began on January 3, when a single-engine aircraft was reported stolen from Auburn Municipal Airport in Washington. Three days later, the plane turned up at Corona Municipal Airport in California.
Investigators say its transponder had been deliberately manipulated to conceal the plane’s location.
Man Arrested After Flying Stolen Plane Across Country While High on Meth
Unfortunately for Estoque, fiddling with the plane’s transponder may have hidden it from radar, but people could still see it with the naked eye, as it was spotted at an airport in Kelso, Washington. Authorities linked the sighting to a couple who may have been on the same plane as Estoque…