Police say the training plane never got airborne and a 37-year-old man was booked on suspicion of burglary and theft of an aircraft.
VAN NUYS, Calif. — A man stole a Cessna 172 from a flight school at Van Nuys Airport early Thursday and crashed it nose-first into a hangar wall around 5 a.m., authorities said. The single-engine trainer never left the ground, and airport police detained the suspect at the scene.
Airport police identified the suspect as 37-year-old Ceffareno Michael Logan. The incident unfolded before dawn on Dec. 18 at LA Flight Academy, one of several schools based at the busy San Fernando Valley general-aviation hub. Investigators with the Los Angeles Airport Police Division and the FBI are reviewing how the intruder entered the leasehold and started the aircraft. As of Thursday, officials reported no deaths and no life-threatening injuries, though the plane and the privately operated hangar sustained visible damage.
The theft began when a trespasser forced entry into the school’s front door shortly before 5 a.m., according to airport police. The Cessna, a four-seat trainer, was then started and taxied on the ramp. While maneuvering, the aircraft’s left wing clipped a hangar, jerking the nose into the building and punching a hole through the exterior wall. “LAXPD immediately responded and took the subject into custody,” the department said in a statement. Anthony Nercessian, who runs LA Flight Academy, said he received a call at 5 a.m. that someone had broken in and taken one of his planes. He said the nose and a wing were damaged and the engine no longer runs.
Police said the suspect gained access to the aircraft after trespassing onto the school’s leasehold along the airport’s west side. Nercessian, who estimated he had owned the approximately $450,000 Cessna for only three months, said the airplane did not require a specialty key to start and that the intruder appeared to figure out the controls quickly. The hit left a ragged opening in a single-story hangar wall facing the taxiway; video from the scene showed the propeller bent and the engine cowl crushed. Authorities said the aircraft never became airborne and no other suspects were being sought as of Thursday afternoon. Whether anyone inside the hangar was hurt was not immediately clear.
Van Nuys ranks among the nation’s busiest general-aviation airports and sits near Balboa Boulevard in the central San Fernando Valley. The airfield hosts dozens of based business jets and piston trainers, and several schools use Cessna 172s for primary instruction. The last similar theft in Southern California involved a light aircraft and did not result in a takeoff, but airport operators say ground incidents can still inflict significant damage. In this case, the visible hole in the hangar wall and the bent propeller underscored how quickly a taxiing airplane can cause injuries or structural harm even at low speed. The airport remained open Thursday with operations confined to unaffected areas, according to on-scene reports.
Logan was arrested and booked on suspicion of burglary and theft of an aircraft. Police set bail at $150,000. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for charging consideration. Investigators said they are reviewing surveillance video from the school and nearby businesses, compiling maintenance and ownership records for the Cessna, and interviewing witnesses who heard the impact just after 5 a.m. Federal agents are assessing whether any federal aviation or security statutes apply, a routine step when an aircraft is involved in a criminal probe. A preliminary damage assessment is underway for the hangar and the airplane.
Neighbors and airport workers described a sharp thud followed by sirens. Mechanics arriving for early shifts stood behind police tape as officers documented scrape marks on the taxiway and measured the gap in the hangar wall. “I’m glad it ended this way with no casualties,” Nercessian said, adding that crews moved other airplanes away from the damaged structure while fire officials checked for fuel leaks. By midmorning, tow operators had stabilized the Cessna’s nose and prepared to move the aircraft back onto the ramp. A small crowd gathered near a perimeter fence to watch as investigators photographed the scene.
As of Friday, Logan remained in custody pending an initial court appearance. Airport police said more information on charges and a timeline for repairs to the hangar would be released after the weekend. The airport’s flight schools resumed lessons on unaffected ramps, and investigators planned to return to the scene to collect additional statements and finalize a preliminary report early next week.
Author note: Last updated December 20, 2025.