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Air Force fighter jets force student flier to land at Ocala
By JIM ROSS
© St. Petersburg Times, OCALA -- Two F-16 fighter jets scrambled into Central Florida on Thursday and forced a student pilot to land at the Ocala International Airport. Federal authorities declined to explain why the two-seat, single-engine aircraft posed a threat or what its pilot -- identified as an Angolan citizen who has spent the past eight months learning to fly in South Florida -- did or said to arouse suspicion. The pilot, identified by a flight instructor as Rui Francisco, landed without incident just before 2 p.m. He was handcuffed and taken from the airport in a police vehicle, a witness said. Authorities questioned Francisco and released him Thursday night; he was never arrested. Evidence technicians examined the aircraft, a two-seat Katana DA20, although they wouldn't say what they found. A black tote bag with four pens protruding from outside pockets, remained on the passenger seat after authorities left the airport. Roy Pocknee, chief flight instructor and director of training for Pelican Airways in Hollywood, said the pilot was making his final cross-country solo training flight required to obtain a U.S. commercial pilot's license. Francisco was flying from Gainesville, the instructor said. He is licensed for single-engine flight and is instrument rated, Pocknee said. The student pilot apparently followed instructions and landed properly when ordered, the instructor said. "He did everything right." The U.S. Air Force F-16s did not land. "We had concerns about the flight, and wanted to talk to the pilot," said Kathleen Bergen, southeast regional spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. "We asked local law enforcement to meet the plane because we don't have any personnel in Ocala." Bergen declined to specify what the FAA's concerns were, but they did not involve the plane flying too close to the Florida Power nuclear power plant north of Crystal River. The FAA's ban on flights near the plant has expired. The FBI declined to comment on the incident, said Sara Oates, FBI spokeswoman in Tampa. Courtney Glattli realized something was wrong shortly after 1 p.m. Mrs. Glattli, a rental agent at the Ocala airport's Avis counter, noticed two fighter jets circling high above the runways. The jets could be heard at least 5 miles to the east. The small plane landed and the pilot, who she said was wearing pants and a T-shirt, emerged. "As soon as the airplane landed, cops swarmed him," Mrs. Glattli said. Ocala police Sgt. Russ Kern said his agency and the Marion County Sheriff's Office responded along with the FBI, which led the investigation. A dog specially trained to detect explosives did not detect anything inside the plane. Still, federal authorities asked Ocala to close the city-owned and operated airport for what turned out to be two hours, according to airport manager Gary Quill. Mrs. Glattli, from Avis, said people inside the small airport building were evacuated for about an hour. Quill said he heard the loud jets Thursday afternoon while sitting in his office. "I was trying to get a memo out," he recalled. Moments later, he received a call from someone asking what the noise was. A moment after that, he received a call from the Air Force to apprise him of the situation. The episode was reminiscent of one Oct. 24 in Crystal River. About 6 p.m. that day, two F-16s forced a small plane to land after the craft drifted too close to the power plant. Authorities said they found 65 pounds of marijuana on the plane. The pilot and his passenger were later arrested and accused of drug trafficking. - Times staff writers Jean Heller and Mike Brassfield contributed to this report and information from the Associated Press was used.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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