Police: He Made Up Story About Ditching In Long Island Sound

Something's not right here. That's the word from investigators in New York and Connecticut about the ditching of a Cessna 414 last weekend in Long Island Sound. As ANN reported (ANN: May 28, 2003 - " Pilot Saved After Ditching Off Long Island"), the pilot, 41-year old Itai Shoshani, described by the New York Post as a "shadowy" Israeli millionaire, was saved after he ditched in about 80 feet of water off the coast of Bridgeport (CT). His Cessna had been diverted from White Plains (NY) to Sikorsky Field in Bridgeport. The C-414 ditched eight miles from shore.

Investigators: We're Not Buying It

Now, investigators say they don't believe Shoshani's story about what caused the plane to go down off the Connecticut coast. They say he acted suspiciously when he was questioned about the circumstances surrounding the ditching.

Shoshani reportedly told investigators he ran out of fuel. But preliminary investigative data indicates Shoshani may have pulled the mixture control back beyond idle cutoff - effectively killing the supply of fuel to both the aircraft's engines.

Divers have been in the water since the Cessna ditched, taking pictures of the wreckage, hoping to figure out what really happened. Sources tell the New York Post that investigators from the FBI and the FAA are monitoring the probe, but that, so far, there's been no attempt to recover any of the wreckage.

FAA Preliminary Accident Data

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 1234        Make/Model: C414      Description: 414, Chancellor
  Date: 05/26/2003     Time: 1828
  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: None     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: BRIDGEPORT   State: CT   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  N1234, C414, IFR, ENROUTE FROM ORLANDO, FL TO WHITE PLAINS, NY DECLARED MINIMUM FUEL AND THEN MADE A FORCED LANDING IN THE WATER 9.86 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BRIDGEPORT, CT AT 1428 EDT ON 5/26/03. ONE PERSON ON BOARD RESCUED BY THE USCG. PILOT TREATED FOR HYPOTHERMIA. AIRCRAFT SUNK. BRIDGEPORT, CT.

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:    0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:          Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: BDR 1828Z 070015KT 1 1/2SM 700OVC A2992

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Cruise      Operation: General Aviation
  Departed: ORLANDO, FL   Dep Date: 05/26/2003   Dep. Time:
  Destination: WHITE PLAINS, NY   Flt Plan: IFR   Wx Briefing: N
  Last Radio Cont: 1825Z   Last Clearance: TURN LEFT HEADING 240
  FAA FSDO: WINDSOR LOCKS, CT  (NE03)             Entry date: 05/27/2003 #

FMI: http://www2.faa.gov/avr/aai/iirform.htm