Man Has Prior History Of Intoxication

They're still cleaning up the aftermath of one man's intoxicated trip through the grounds at the Benton Airpark in Redding, CA last Thursday.

The Redding Record-Searchlight reports Robert Franklin Blank drove his van into a parked car, over the curb, through the chain-link perimeter fence surrounding the Redding, CA airport... and then careened off a 1959 Aero Commander twin that was, unfortunately, outside of its usual hangar.

Officers found Blank, 65, behind the wheel of his van Thursday night... in front of an onsite building owned by the California Highway Patrol. It wasn't difficult for everyone to figure out what had happened.

"He parked his car crooked in the CHP parking lot and passed out," said Karl Alam, owner of Hillside Aviation at the airpark. "He was so drunk. I saw when they pulled him out of the car. He looked really, really out of it."

Alam says it's too soon to tell just how much damage the small commercial air park sustained during the ordeal, although he did say the damage appeared to be "considerable."

That's an understatement for the owner of the Aero-Commander, however. Tom Jaharis said the van destroyed his plane.

"It's going to take a huge chunk of our revenue," he said. "This was the most popular plane."

Jaharis owns Redding Aero Enterprises, which contracts with the US Forest Service and Department of the Interior to provide three coordination aircraft for aerial water bombers during fire season. In fact, Jaharis said, the plane had just gotten out of its last inspection before the start of the season... which is why it was parked on the ramp, and not inside its regular hangar.

As for Blank, he was taken to a local hospital for treatment, before being booked into the Shasta County jail for suspicion of driving under the influence.

Police say it's not Blank's first trip to the pokey. He was arrested for DWI in 2003, and for public intoxication in 1999. He also performed community service work in 2004 after pleading no contest to defrauding an innkeeper.

FMI: www.reddingjet.com/rae.html