A plane circled over north Mississippi Saturday morning, causing panic on the ground as the pilot threatened to crash into a Walmart. Hours later, the plane landed safely in a field and police arrested the pilot. Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Twitter shortly after 10:30 a.m. that “the situation has been resolved and no one was injured.” He thanked law enforcement for helping bring down the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the plane landed northwest of Ripley, Mississippi, with only the pilot on board. Benton County Sheriff’s Dispatcher Connie Strickland also said the plane landed and the person was taken into custody. Ripley is located about 85 miles (137 kilometers) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of Tupelo, Mississippi, where the flight originated. The plane began circling over Tupelo at about 5 a.m., the Tupelo Police Department said. Officers evacuated a Walmart and a convenience store in Tupelo because the pilot threatened to crash into the Walmart on purpose. The plane flew over Tupelo for more than three hours before flying to more rural areas. People went outside and looked up at the sky, some of them taking photos or videos on their cellphones. Authorities believe the plane — a Beechcraft King Air C90A — was stolen and are working to determine whether the pilot who threatened to crash the plane is a local airport employee, two people briefed on the matter told The Associated Press. Multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, are involved in the investigation and are working to determine a motive. An online flight tracking service showed the plane meandering through the sky for several hours and following a circular path. Leslie Criss, a magazine editor who lives in Tupelo, woke up early and tracked the situation on television and social media. Several of her friends were outside watching the plane circle overhead. “I’ve never seen anything like this in this city,” Criss told The Associated Press. “It’s a scary way to wake up on a Saturday morning.” Former state Rep. Steve Holland, who is a funeral director in Tupelo, said he has received calls from families concerned about the plane. “Someone called and said, ‘Oh my God, do we have to cancel mother’s funeral?’ Holland said. “I just told them, ‘No, life will go on.’ The plane drama unfolded as tens of thousands of college football fans headed to north Mississippi for Saturday’s football games at the University of Mississippi in Oxford and Mississippi State University in Starkville. Tupelo is located between these two towns.
The plane over North MS has gone down. Fortunately the situation was resolved and no one was injured. Thank you most of all to the local, state and federal law enforcement who handled this situation with exceptional professionalism. — Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) September 3, 2022 State law enforcement and emergency managers are closely monitoring this dangerous situation. All citizens should be alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department. https://t.co/hQ8GxcR8s0 — Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) September 3, 2022 —— Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in New York contributed to this report.
