Allegedly Threatened To Shoot At An Airplane

When McDuffie County Commissioner Paul McCorkle and his brother Sammy allegedly stormed through the Thompson McDuffie Regional Airport terminal building and out onto the tarmac last week, they probably didn't anticipate being the subject of an FAA investigation, but that is exactly the result they got.

According to television station WRDW in Augusta, the McCorkles were upset about a plane they said was flying too low over their mother's house. The plane had landed and was preparing to take off again when they barged through the terminal and onto the tarmac, a federal security area, trying to attach a tie-down chain to the aircraft. When the chain proved too short, they physically banged on the side of the airplane and exchanged words with the pilot.

Corporate Pilot Dean Carrara told the television station "He mentioned, 'If I had a shotgun, would it have reached your airplane?' I said no...and he said, 'Okay, well next time you fly over, I'm going to try'.”

McDuffie County Sheriff Logan Marshall questioned the two brothers, and decided to turn the case over to the FAA for investigation. "We want to make sure it's handled properly," he told WRDW.

Airport employees say this is not the first time Commissioner McCorkle has threatened to shoot at an airplane. They told the station he has complained to the FAA about airport noise in the past.

FMI: www.faa.gov