Claims Media Got The Story '95 Percent Wrong'

Jailed pilot Marcus Schrenker, facing a competency hearing in a Pensacola federal court on April 24, is anxious to tell his side of the story of what happened on January 11 when he bailed out of his plane in what the media have termed an attempt to fake his own death.

As ANN reported, the 38-year-old pilot (shown above) apparently bailed out of his Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu near Birmingham, AL, after sending a false distress call to controllers, and saying he had been severely injured from a broken windscreen.

The plane was left on autopilot and eventually ran out of fuel, crashing near East Milton, FL. He was arrested two days later at a campground near Quincy, FL after he apparently attempted suicide by slashing his wrists.

In a letter written to the Pensacola News Journal, Schrenker said that he's eager to set the story straight, because the media got the story "95 percent wrong," he wrote. "Authorities and the media created this fallacious story before anyone ever asked me, 'What happened?' "

Schrenker wrote that he didn't mean for the plane to crash. He said it exploded, forcing him to bail out - but in an odd twist, he said he wishes the story had ended differently.

"Not a day goes by that I didn't wish I'd have gone down in that airplane with honor," Schrenker wrote. "The irony is that if I'd have died, my family would have lived a life with no embarrassment and certainly not be involved in a high profile international story as we're involved in."

Trial for charges stemming from the disappearing act escapade are set for June 8, after which Schrenker will be taken to Indiana to face felony charges related to his alleged financial misdeeds.

"The Indiana issue is very complex and in no way was myself or my wife ever compensated by a diversion of investor funds," he said. "Our losses that we experienced were because of investment devaluations."

Schrenker's wife, Michelle, filed for divorce December 30, claiming her husband had engaged in several extramarital affairs. But in his letter, Schrenker said that he and his wife are attempting to make amends. "Before the accident, we had the dream life. We were the all American Apple Pie family.

"Michelle and I love each other, we've been together 16 years and we're not going to let this split us up," he wrote. "We have certainly had a rough spot, and we've certainly had a hell of a tiff, but we're gonna put the divorce on hold and give it another try."

Schrenker claims to be writing a book about the ordeal, tentatively titled, "15 Years Up, 1 Night Down."

FMI: www.usdoj.gov