Mississippi FBO employee steals a King Air and crashes it

The weekend incident in which a Beechcraft King Air C90 was stolen by an FBO employee at Tupelo Regional Airport is still being looked into by Mississippi authorities. Cory Wayne Patterson, a line service technician at Tupelo Aviation for the past ten years, allegedly removed the fully-fueled twin turboprop at about five in the morning on Saturday, according to Tupelo Police. Patterson holds a student pilot certificate, according to FAA data, since 2013.

After that, he circled Tupelo for a while, making repeated threats to strike an enormous department store, prompting the evacuation of the structure. He posted an apology on social media while his gasoline was running low, adding that he “never genuinely intended to kill anybody,” and then he said, “goodbye.”

With the assistance of a seasoned pilot calming him down, the negotiators chatting with Patterson ultimately persuaded him to attempt to land the aircraft. Around 10:20 a.m., however, he forced King Air to land in a neighboring field.

The individual was detained and charged with grand theft and making terroristic threats despite being unharmed by the violent landing. According to a Tupelo police official, Patterson was denied bail and is still being held. Federal charges could possibly be brought against him.

The King Air, which was retrieved from the scene and is registered to Southeast Aviation of Mississippi, had no reports of damage.