Pilot killed in crash after allegedly stealing plane from Texas flight school
A 23-year-old pilot stole a plane from a Dallas-area flight school — then made an ominous call saying he would not be listening “to y’all’s instructions” before he crashed and died.
The pilot, identified as Logan Timothy James of Stokesdale, North Carolina, stole the Cessna 172 Skyhawk from ATP Flight School at Addison Airport about 7 p.m. Wednesday, KTVT reported, citing the Texas Department of Public Safety.
James was cleared to perform touch-and-go maneuvers in the pattern around the airport but after the first landing and takeoff he made a chilling call.
“I’m climbing up through the clouds and then just gonna head outside of everything,” he said, according to audio posted by VasAviation.
“About right now you’ll probably realize that I’m not gonna listen to y’all’s instructions and I’m just heading to East Texas.”
James calmly tells the air-traffic controller that he was going to “unkey” the microphone and pull the communication circuit breakers.
“Career Track 655, Addison Tower, say again,” the controller asks him but gets no replies after trying again several times over the following 10 minutes.
James flew east and then north toward the Texas-Oklahoma border, where he crashed in a field nine miles northeast of Telephone, Texas, some 80 miles from where he took off, officials said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
ATP confirmed the crash involved its Cessna 172.
“A private pilot certificated ATP student was the only aircraft occupant. The accident occurred in a remote area, and there were no injuries to anyone on the ground,” the school told KTVT, adding that it was cooperating with local and federal authorities.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot’s family, loved ones, friends and colleagues,” it added.
James’ father told the outlet that his son had grown up in North Carolina and graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas.
He was “a wonderful son, with a gentle and loving spirit,” said his dad, who was not named.
James studied geospatial information science at UTD, according to his LinkedIn page.
“After I graduate at UTD, I plan to go to flight school and work to earn a spot flying for a legacy carrier, such as Delta, American, or FedEx,” he wrote in his profile.
James earned his private pilot certificate on Dec. 24, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database.
The FAA, National Transportation Safety Board and Addison police are investigating the incident.
