A thriller aircraft thief retains stealing a classic small aircraft for sky-high joyrides — and even repairing it earlier than returning it prepared for the subsequent time.
Retired California pilot Jason Hong told the Los Angeles Times he had simply completed celebrating his seventy fifth birthday when he all of the sudden bought the urge to pay a go to to his “outdated treasure,” a 1958 Cessna Skyhawk stationed on the Corona Municipal Airport on July 27.
As an alternative, he discovered his white and crimson single-engine aircraft lacking, with police notifying him that the aircraft had been checked out no less than twice earlier than the most recent mysterious joyride.
Including to the thriller, the aircraft had additionally been maintained and repaired, he mentioned.
“On and off, they flew out and in, out and in, nearly a whole month with out figuring out,” he mentioned, with some witnesses suggesting the aircraft thief was a middle-aged girl. “That is actually a uncommon state of affairs.”
Hong mentioned he’s baffled as to who could be taking it — and why.
“Somebody breaks into your own home, they’re on the lookout for jewellery or money, proper?” Hong mentioned. “However on this case, what’s the aim? It’s like somebody breaks my window, after which they put a brand new one up.”
After that first time noticing it was lacking, Hong was initially relieved when La Verne Police reported his Cessna had been discovered two days later on the Brackett Area Airport.
In line with plane-tracking website Flight Conscious, Hong’s aircraft initially took off from the Corona airport on the morning of July 26 for a 51-minute journey to Palm Springs. It then departed for a quick 22-minute flight to the Bracket Area Airport.
The annoyed 75-year-old determined to drag the battery from the aircraft till he may come again to scrub the cockpit and examine it.
However when he returned on Aug. 3, Hong discovered the aircraft lacking once more, with police finding the stolen plane now parked on the San Gabriel Valley Airport.
“This aircraft simply retains disappearing out of the blue,” Sgt. Robert Montanez of the Corona Police Division instructed the outlet. “It’s simply bizarre.”
As soon as Hong bought to the San Gabriel Valley Airport, the thriller solely deepened after he discovered a brand new headset and battery contained in the aircraft, that means the thief needed to spend a big amount of cash to get it flying once more.
Hong additionally realized from regulars on the airport that they’d seen a girl flying his aircraft round San Gabriel Valley a number of instances in July.
Whereas one witness claimed the thief was a girl who gave the impression to be in her 40s or 50s and about 5’3″, police famous that there is no such thing as a video out there to indicate who stole the aircraft.
As police proceed to research the circumstances of the repeated robberies, Hong discovered a silver lining in assembly the employees and regulars on the San Gabriel Valley Airport.
“This has higher folks,” Hong mentioned. “Higher lounge than Corona. A bit of bit farther, however this airport might be my dwelling base,” Hong told local KCAL News.
