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- Man who tried to steal plane arrested moments after crashing the aircraft (the-independent.com)
Los Angeles Man Arrested After Attempted Plane Theft Ends in Hangar Crash
VAN NUYS, CA – A Los Angeles man is currently behind bars after an audacious attempt to steal an airplane from a flight school at Van Nuys Airport ended with him crashing into a nearby hangar shortly after takeoff.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 37-year-old Ceffareno Michael Logan. According to ABC Los Angeles, Logan allegedly gained entry to Van Nuys Airport around 5:00 AM on Thursday morning.
“LAXPD immediately responded and took [the] subject into custody,” police stated in a release to ABC7.
The aircraft in question was a Cessna 172, a widely recognized American four-seat, single-engine, high-wing airplane.
Anthony Nercessian, owner of the L.A. Flight Academy, recounted to KTLA that the suspect managed to access the airport grounds, breach a hangar, and start the aircraft’s engine, causing it to roll in an apparent bid for flight.
Nercessian stated that Logan traveled approximately 50 to 60 feet before colliding with the hangar. The impact resulted in significant damage to the plane, the hangar structure itself, and a Porsche parked inside.
“He fled, but I heard he got caught,” Nercessian added.
Logan reportedly sustained no injuries in the incident and is not known to Nercessian. Police arrested Logan and booked him on charges of burglary and theft of an aircraft. His bail has been set at $150,000.
The Los Angeles Airport Police and the FBI are continuing their investigation into the matter.
This incident follows another unusual case earlier this year in California, where a man discovered his plane was being repeatedly stolen for “joyrides” and then returned. Jason Hong, 75, owner of a 1958 Cessna Skyhawk, told The Los Angeles Times in August that he found his plane missing from its hangar at Corona Municipal Airport on July 27. Hong later learned an unknown pilot had flown his aircraft across Southern California on at least two occasions, though the identity of the culprit remains unknown to both Hong and the police.
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- Man who tried to steal plane arrested moments after crashing the aircraft (the-independent.com)