A search is under way for a Central Florida pilot and his missing airplane after he threatened to crash the aircraft into his ex-girlfriend's home, according to investigators.
The Federal Aviation Administration identified the pilot as 63-year-old Michael Sills, of Winter Garden. Sills' girlfriend reported to authorities that her ex-boyfriend was suicidal due to their relationship break-up. She told authorities she received text messages from him on Tuesday saying, "In plane." "Calling police is to late."
Investigators found Sills' car at the Orlando Apopka Airport on Tuesday, but his plane remains missing. Investigators said blood was found inside Sills' car and the vehicle's exhaust system appeared to be rigged for a suicide attempt.
Sills, according to investigators, threatened to crash his Piper aircraft into his girlfriend's house on Azalea Way, or another building.
The plane has a range of about 500 miles. Metro PCS tracked Sills' phone ping to the Zellwood area of Orange County.
The FAA said it has not ruled out the possibility that the plane crashed in an unknown location. No reports of a small plane crashing have been reported to the FAA as of Friday afternoon.
Local police officers searched an aircraft hangar
at the Apopka Airport and found a car belonging to Sills with traces of
blood. Exhaust was also vented back into the car, according to
officials. Investigators were looking into a potential
threat, allegedly made by Sills, that he was going to crash his plane
into his girlfriend's house, or another building.
The
Piper has a range of approximately 500 miles, and from witness
accounts, departed Apopka Airport at approximately 9:30 p.m. on
Thursday. Investigators said it appears Sills may have landed at
another airport or may have crashed.
APOPKA -- Investigators say they will be searching Friday for a suicidal man who hasn’t been seen since he took off in his airplane Tuesday.
Federal authorities worry the man could try to crash his plane into a house he shares with his girlfriend. Michael Sills, 63, apparently made threats saying he was going to crash into the house they share in Winter Garden. Sills took off from Orlando Apopka Airport at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. He hasn't been heard from since.
Authorities said they think Sills might have already crashed the plane or landed at another airport but right now they don’t know where he is. The Piper airplane is only able to travel about 500 miles, which is approximately the distance to Birmingham, Alabama.
Investigators said they have searched the area where Sills parked his car at the airport. They said they found blood and the vehicle’s exhaust was hooked up into the inside for a suicide attempt. Federal authorities are taking Sills' threat seriously. The Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration along with the Joint Terrorism Task Force are all working together on this search.
Federal agents are searching for a local pilot believed they believe to be suicidal.
Michael Sills, 63, took off from the small Orlando-Apopka Airport on Tuesday night and neither he, nor his aircraft, has been seen since. Investigators say Sills told his girlfriend he planned on crashing the plane into their home or into another building.
Agents from the Federal Aviation Administration believe that Sills and his small Piper aircraft are still out there. Investigators said his car contained blood inside. The Joint Terrorism task force said the exhaust pipe was hooked up to his car in an apparent suicide attempt. Investigators believe that Sills has either crashed his plane somewhere or landed at another airport.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment