US Plane News: Plane that threatened to crash lands safely; pilot in police custody

Rogue pilot, who threatened to crash plane into a store in Mississippi has been taken into police custody, AP reported citing authorities.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves says the airplane that threatened to crash into Walmart in Tupelo has landed safely. He announced the “situation has been resolved and that no one was injured.”

Governor Reeves thanked law enforcement agencies that assisted in bringing the aircraft down. 

Former state Representative Steve Holland, who is a funeral director in Tupelo, said he had received calls from families concerned about the plane, AP reported.

"One called and said, ‘Oh, my God, do we need to cancel mother’s funeral?'" Holland said. "I just told them, ‘No, life’s going to go on.'"

The pilot of a small airplane circling over a Mississippi city on Saturday morning threatened to crash the aircraft into a Walmart store, police said.

The plane started circling about 5 a.m. and was still in the air more than three hours later. Police said they have made contact with the pilot directly.

“Citizens are asked to avoid that area until an all clear is given," the police wrote in the post, adding: “With the mobility of an airplane of that type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo.”

Law enforcement told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal shortly after 8 a.m. that the plane had left the airspace around Tupelo and was flying near a Toyota manufacturing plant in nearby Blue Springs.

“State law enforcement and emergency managers are closely tracking this dangerous situation,” Gov. Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter, adding: “All citizens should be on alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department.”
 

The plane started circling at about 5 a.m. and was in the air for more than three hours has gone off the radar, according to reports.