Pilot lands after threatening to crash small plane into a Walmart

A pilot who threatened to crash into a Walmart in Tupelo, Miss., on Saturday morning, and then flew erratically for several hours, was taken into custody after landing in a field, officials said. The plane landed in Benton County, about 50 miles northwest of Tupelo, and the pilot was taken into custody without injury, said Connie Strickland, a dispatcher for the Benton County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi. At a news conference, John Quaka, the chief of the Tupelo Police Department, identified the pilot as Cory Patterson, who was charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats. The chief said he expected federal charges to follow. Patterson had some flight experience, but the authorities said they did not believe he was a licensed pilot. Aviation records show that since 2013, Patterson was considered a “student pilot” and prohibited from carrying passengers. The authorities laid out a timeline of events, which began just after 5 a.m. when they said Mr. Patterson took a Beechcraft King Air C90 from Tupelo Regional Airport. He was the only person in the plane. Airport representatives could not be immediately reached on Saturday. Patterson worked at Tupelo Aviation Unlimited for 10 years as a lineman fueling aircrafts, so he had access to the airport and planes, Chief Quaka said. Patterson called 911 just before 5:30 a.m. and threatened to intentionally crash into a Walmart in Tupelo, which prompted the authorities to evacuate the store and surrounding areas as he flew above and around the city. The police talked directly with the pilot and negotiators convinced him not to crash. The authorities said Patterson did not have enough flight experience to know how to land, and another pilot was brought in to talk Patterson through the process. As Patterson approached the Tupelo Airport and was about 100 feet from landing, he suddenly changed directions and started to head north away from the city. Story has more. <br/>