I keep thinking I have read the weirdest news stories and I keep proving myself wrong. A Cessna 172 made an unauthorized (without clearance) takeoff from Roanoke (VA) Regional Airport and then continued to circle for several hours before returning to land without incident. This was not just a few minutes of circling either, the plane departed at 11:00 a.m. and did not land until 2:30 p.m. that afternoon. The pilot, Samuel Shields, 50, caused several business owners to evacuate a strip mall near Smith Mountain Lake as the Cessna was precariously circling in the vicinity and had made threats about crashing there. About 25 business owners at Bridgewater Shopping Center also evacuated as a precaution.
When Shields first departed, he flew below the radar so he could not be tracked. Communication was established with Shields about 90 minutes into the flight. The Virginia State Police helicopter was also dispatched to shadow the aircraft on his flight while the FBI talked to him on the radio.
After all this, the FBI says it will not charge the Shields with any criminal charges. But fear not because the FAA has opened an investigation to determine if Shields violated any federal regulations...right. As the Cessna was rolling down the runway for its unauthorized takeoff, Shields wife called the police saying she had dropped him off at the airport so he could work on his aircraft and that he was suicidal. To take the cake, Shields is a flight instructor and a retired air traffic controller!
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