Mon, Apr 13, 2009
Pilot Spends Night In Jail, Faces Prosecution
A pilot accused of taking out his frustrations with fellow
airpark residents by buzzing them while they performed runway
repairs has been charged with reckless operation of an aircraft and
five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
According to the complaint, last January 3, Edwin G. Brock, 72
was upset by a maintenance-related runway closure at the Melrose
Landing Airpark (FD22), located about 20 miles east of Gainesville,
FL. The runway was marked with a large yellow "X" and blocked with
parked cars while five residents of the fly-in community repaired
cracks in the runway's surface.
Brock allegedly harassed the men for closing the runway, and
then proceeded to take off in his Citabria anyway, using a grassy
area parallel to the runway. He made a low pass about 50 feet over
the workers' heads, and returned a half hour later with a lower
pass, about 30 feet off the deck.
The complainants said the passes were both reckless and
intentional, spurred by friction between Brock and the others. The
men have since filed charges with the Putnam County Sheriff's
Office, and Brock was arrested last Thursday.
One of the men told the Jacksonville Times-Union that Brock has
a history of reckless flying and conflicts with his neighbors.
Brock, a former air traffic controller, said he has been flying
since he was 16. He denied endangering the others, saying his
altitude was consistent with normal takeoff and landing operations.
Brock said the real dispute was internal within the airpark's
homeowners association.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the
incident.
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