ADDISON, TX – A 23-year-old man from Stokesdale, North Carolina, identified as Logan Timothy James, stole a plane from a Texas airport. After he stole the aircraft, he crashed it near the Texas-Oklahoma border, officials said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that James stole a Cessna 172 airplane from the ATP Flight School located at Addison Airport, roughly 15 miles north of Dallas. After stealing the plane, James piloted the aircraft over 80 miles northeast to Paris, Texas, before crashing near the state border.
Officials from Addison Airport informed reporters that the plane took off at 6:53 p.m. Wednesday and crashed at approximately 8:26 p.m. in an open field, 9 miles northeast of Telephone, Texas. James was the only passenger aboard the airplane that he crashed.
The details surrounding any potential communications from James to air traffic control prior to the accident remains unclear. However, recordings from earlier in the flight reveal an exchange where James indicated he would not be following instructions and was headed to East Texas.
The investigation is currently being led by the National Transportation Safety Board. Additionally, assistance in the investigation is being provided by the Federal Aviation Administration, as reported by the Department of Public Safety.