Aa777jr From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 1014 times:
Department of Homeland Security officials forced a small plane carrying four apparently illegal Chinese immigrants and a pilot identified as a Mexican national to land at an airport in San Antonio Monday night, officials said today. The immigrants were being held at Stinson Airfield shortly after federal agents forced their plane down.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) -- A group of suspected illegal immigrants was being questioned early Tuesday after federal officials forced their single-engine plane to land here.
The Cessna carried at least four suspected illegal immigrants who were detained along with the craft's pilot by homeland security officials in connection with a possible smuggling operation, according to newspaper and broadcast reports.
A police dispatcher said federal authorities forced the craft to land just before 10 p.m. Monday at Stinson Municipal Airport, a few miles south of downtown San Antonio.
"They brought a plane down. They are holding it," a San Antonio Police Department dispatcher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press. "They asked us to assist them. The FBI is handling it now."
Representatives of the Homeland Security Department, FBI and Federal Aviation Administration did not return telephone calls early Tuesday from the AP.
Online records of the Federal Aviation Administration show the 20-year-old plane is co-owned by Afzal Hameed of Dover, Delaware. The other co-owner is listed as Alyce S. Taylor, but no address is given for her.
According to news reports I'd heard on the radio, the aircraft was running without anti-collision lights, strobes, or nav lights on.
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem - government IS the problem." - Ronald Reagan
Jtamu97 From United States, joined Mar 2001, 642 posts, RR: 3 Reply 2, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 802 times:
I was wondering about how they were tipped off to intercept this plane. Even if it was in the dark, who could have seen it or was it noticed without the lights after the fact. Also, the article mentions it was flying illegally in American Airpspace. It is a US registration, therefore I guess it violated the airspace in SAT. However, the transponder would have to be on to show some sort of target. Anyway, interesting tp say the least.
MichaelF From United States, joined Jan 2005, 14 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 743 times:
Hi guys. The owner of that plane (N98873) is the Chief Flight Instructor and owner at my flight school! I flew with him yesterday before the incident! And today, when I went to the school the local news was interviewing him. I flew with my flight instructor to Stinson Field a couple hours ago where I saw the plane just parked on the ramp in front of the tower.
SATL382G From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 731 times:
All the accounts say the plane was "brought" or "forced" down. How was this accomplished?
Maybe we shouldn't be using those terms until we know the truth. That the news media use those terms is no excuse for those of us who should know better.
57AZ From United States, joined Nov 2004, 2490 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 727 times:
Transponder does not have to be on to show a basic target. Radar would still pick it up but it would not have data tag information. Most likely it was picked up by either Aerostat or AWACS which relayed the information to the response team. Presently, the US Border Patrol and US Customs employ P-3 AWACS radar ships and Cessna Citation chase planes. Enforcement team is transported on a modified UH-60. The Citations employ sophisticated onboard electronics to locate and track the target aircraft and are perfectly capable of locating an unlit target at night.
"When a man runs on railroads over half of his lifetime he is fit for nothing else-and at times he don't know that."
MichaelF From United States, joined Jan 2005, 14 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (4 years 9 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 721 times:
They are now saying that the plane was not 'forced down'. It just made a 'scheduled' landing at Stinson on its own accord, where the Feds were waiting to apprehend them.
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