Tuesday, June 08, 2021

Robert Ryan Gore

Robert Ryan Gore
Bay County Jail



Bay County Sheriff's Office

UPDATED: Robert Ryan Gore, the pilot of the small place that flew recklessly above crowds at the Gulf Coast Jam last weekend, has been taken into custody. Gore turned himself in to authorities in Okaloosa County last night, June 8, 2021. Sheriff Tommy Ford would like to thank Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden and the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office for their assistance in this case. Gore has been charged with a felony: Operating an Aircraft in a Careless, Reckless Manner.

June 08, 2021

ROBERT RYAN GORE SOUGHT BY INVESTIGATORS AFTER RECKLESSLY FLYING OVER CROWDS AT GULF COAST JAM

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the pilot of a small plane that flew at approximately 300 feet over crowds at the Gulf Coast Jam three times this past Saturday evening, alarming attendees, security personnel, and organizers of the event. Out of caution, the concert was stopped and the stage cleared. 
The pilot has been identified as Robert Ryan Gore, age 40. Gore not only flew recklessly low over the event, but dropped promotional items on top of the 32,000 people in the crowd.

A warrant for Reckless Operation of an Aircraft, a felony, has been issued for the arrest of Gore, an Okaloosa County resident. BCSO investigators believe when Gore flew away from the event at Frank Brown Park on Panama City Beach, he landed his aircraft in Okaloosa County. 

Sheriff Tommy Ford would like to thank Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this case.

Anyone with information on the location of Robert Ryan Gore is asked to contact the Bay County Sheriff’s Office at 850-747-4700 or Crime Stoppers at 850-785-TIPS.

Prepared by R. Corley
Information by Inv. D. Merritt
Approved by Sheriff T. Ford



PANAMA CITY BEACH, Florida (WMBB) — A report about the ‘reckless’ flyover at Gulf Coast Jam on Saturday night revealed the dangerous situation faced by law enforcement officers and the leadership of the concert.

The report also revealed that a sniper with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office was watching the plane and that deputies warned the pilot that they were prepared to “take action” if the incident continued.

Robert Ryan Gore, 40, of Destin, is charged with operation of an aircraft while intoxicated or in a careless, reckless manner.

Deputies wrote that at about 8:30 p.m. Gore flew a seaplane below 500 feet over the crowd which numbered more than 20,000. They added that he made a nose dive maneuver towards the crowd and then made a second pass.

He also dropped koozies onto the crowd that contained a website for his business, flythebeach.com and a phone number.

On its website the business offers flights for $99 and promises that if you fall in love with flying they can teach you to become a pilot.

Singer Cole Swindell and his band were set to take the stage but the performance was delayed until law enforcement and Gulf Coast Jam Producer Rendy Lovelady felt the situation was safe, Lovelady said Wednesday.

Deputies contacted Tyndall Air Force Base and Northwest Beaches International Airport and confirmed that no one had permission to fly over the crowd.

Deputies then texted the number on the koozie and had this exchange:

BCSO – This is Bay County Sheriff’s Office you need to cease flying over Frank Brown or we will take action.

Pilot – Enjoy the concert didn't mean to bother anybody do you a little recon for coming over to join the event.

Gore then sent deputies a photo of the plane.

During a follow-up on Sunday, deputies called Gore and he refused to meet with them. Instead, he said he “cleared what he did with his attorney and stated he was legal to do what he did in regards with the throwing of the” koozies.

Gore was charged earlier this week. He turned himself in Thursday. News 13 has reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for comment.

24 comments:

  1. Advertising for a flight school:

    https://www.facebook.com/FlyTheBeach/

    https://flythebeach.com/

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Anyone with a haircut like that should never be allowed to fly an airplane

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    2. "Anyone with a haircut like that should never be allowed to fly an airplane"

      Hah! So true. Just give him some overalls and he'd be a perfect character fit playing one of those inbred hillbillies in a Deliverance remake.

      Delete
  2. Well there goes that flight school’s approval from the FAA!

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  3. Gore's plane and a helicopter flew very close proximity to each other mid-air over crowds.

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  4. He's also wanted by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Aviation Administration.

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    Replies
    1. Department of Justice -- U.S. Attorney’s Office

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  5. Why would someone do that?!? It's so childish!

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  6. Pre 9/11 = crowd cheer and get excited even more, pilot brags, no one complains.
    Post 9/11/modern day= Crowd haul assess, FBI, DHS, CIA get on the case, pilot is a terrorist.

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    Replies
    1. Love it. "Modern day" isn't like what it used to be. Less free, more restrictions. I am proud to be a pilot back when flying was fun.

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  7. It has always been illegal my entire life and has always been dangerous and stupid. Huge negative image for all of aviation. String his ass up!

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    Replies
    1. I don't which geographical region you live in, but here in Florida, back in the good ol' days, low and slow flying over a crowd of beachgoers/boaters/concerts was an accepted deed, and no one really complained. Most would wave hello back into the skies. Those days are long gone now.

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  8. "PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. -- The Okaloosa County pilot who allegedly flew his plane recklessly over the Gulf Coast Jam music festival in Panama City Beach turned himself in Tuesday night."

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  9. It might be difficult to find this guy. He maintains a low profile. Spending most of the day in front of the TV watching cartoons.

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  10. Idiot should be grounded for life!

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  11. This character obviously is not concerned about any laws or law enforcement. Nothing will keep him from doing this again except jail time.

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  12. All airplanes bite fools,what a stupid thing to do over an area like that,a disgrace to aviation.

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  13. His teeth look like he has fluorosis. Make sense.

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  14. Maybe... He received a foreclosure notice on his plane, got drunk, had a really bad idea that seemed good at the time, and then his bad day got a whole lot worse.

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  15. Facebook page has postings going back to 2013, seems like he had an ongoing beach ride biz with some LSA instructing on the side and has messed that up bigtime.

    https://www.facebook.com/FlyTheBeach/

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  16. Stunts like this ultimately lead to more restrictions for all pilots. Just like firecrackers, all it takes is for one to ruin it for others.
    Just yesterday some out of area pilot in an RV8 was buzzing our small airport, doing low passes over the runway at a high speed, then pulling up near vertical. No radio calls, total disregard for others safety. He did these reckless cycles four times before flying off. Yes, we called the FAA. Point is, this is typical of the behavior that ultimately effects flying for everyone, and of course adds to the fatality record of light aircraft.

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  17. As for the anonymous comment about cops reaching for their guns, as it applies to this incident. The “sniper” was looking through his optics for the tail number, description of the airplane.
    Calm down, take a Valium. He was not going to shoot the airplane down. No one is being a cowboy.

    As for other polic related shootings ,,, don’t even try to voice your public opinion criticizing the use of deadly force until you’ve sat in the same exact situation. In my law enforcement career, I’ve drawn my weapon many times, each and every time fully justified. I used my weapon twice to RETURN deadly force, not initiate it.
    From my experience, most cop criticizing arm chair quarter banks would piss their pants in a typical hostile encounter. The closest they come is watching Cops on TV.
    Use some common sense before you open your mouth or write a comment.

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  18. I was at the beach that day and saw this sea plane fly over at like 50 feet above the water. I remarked how that dude was asking to get in trouble!

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