Man who landed plane on I-70 in Missouri had past traffic violations, suspension
The Prairie Village pilot who was arrested Friday on suspicion of being intoxicated when he made an emergency landing of a plane on Interstate 70 in Jackson County has had multiple traffic violations in the past, court records show.
In 2017, the man was pulled over by the Missouri State Highway Patrol while traveling eastbound on U.S. 60 for speeding and a registration violation, but a computer check also found that his Nevada license had been suspended, according to a citation issued by the highway patrol.
He was charged with driving on a highway without a valid license and speeding in August 2017. The man was fined a total of $322 for both instances, and his license was suspended until further notice from the court in December 2017.
He never paid either fine, according to court records.
The man obtained his student pilot certificate in January 2020, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s airmen registry. Student pilots are allowed to fly alone but cannot have passengers.
The 35-year-old man was arrested Friday on suspicion of being intoxicated with drugs and alcohol when he landed a plane on I-70 near Oak Grove, said Sgt. Andy Bell, a spokesman for the highway patrol.
He was also arrested on suspicion of DWI, careless and imprudent actions that involved a crash, felony possession of a controlled substance, felony unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the arrest report.
The Piper Cherokee single-engine aircraft the man landed on the highway is registered to Warrior Aviation LC of Prairie Village, according to the FAA’s online aircraft registry.
It appears the pilot was en route to Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City after traveling to Florida from the same airport, according to data from flightaware.com.
The pilot made several stops along the way, but ultimately started losing altitude and speed as it neared Lee’s Summit, which was also when FlightAware could no longer track the plane.
The plane landed on the highway shortly before 2:45 a.m., striking a guardrail, Bell said. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was the only person onboard. No vehicles were hit by the plane.
The FAA is assisting with the ongoing investigation.
