Pilot May Have Also Busted A Presidential TFR In '06
The FAA is investigating whether a Concord, CA pilot repeatedly
buzzed his ex-girlfreind's neighborhood. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus
declined to comment on the investigation, but he did confirm that
the single engine Beechcraft involved in the low level hijinks
belongs to 50 year-old Thomas Mark Huey.
In a two week span in July, residents reported on several
occasions that they either saw or heard a small plane at low
altitude over their neighborhood.
"It sounded low and close, you could hear a plane circling,"
Chris Keith told the San Jose Mercury News.Keith, a 20-year
resident of the area, said small plane traffic is normal, since
Concord's Buchanan Field is nearby, but that this plane's presence
was unusual.
The neighborhood affected includes the home of Huey's estranged
girlfriend, who last week was granted a five-year restraining order
against him stemming from allegations of domestic violence and
harassment.
Kim Lesnansky, a 33-year resident of the neighborhood who lives
on Shakespeare Drive, recalled an afternoon sighting where the
plane made as many as 100 passes overhead, sometimes getting
disturbingly close to the trees around her home, which stand
between 40 and 50 feet high. "He was spiraling and slowly
descending," Lesnansky said. "I went out to see if he had a heart
attack or something. I was afraid he was going to hit (power)
wires."
County airport officials received 22 noise complaints about the
plane, which has been based out of Buchanan Field for more than 20
years, said airport director Keith Freitas. The complaints were
sent to the FAA's Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) in
Alameda. There have been no reported complaints about the plane in
the past week, Freitas said. They stopped around July 24, which is
when the FAA put the pilot on notice, he said.
FAA regulations dictate that a pilot must maintain an altitude
of at least 1,000 feet over a congested area. Fergus stated that
depth perception from the ground can be misleading, and that people
can think a plane is a lot closer than it actually is." Depending
on the size of the plane, it could be at 1,000 feet and feel like
it's on your shoulder". Penalties for violations range from an
admonition to the loss of the pilot's license, Fergus said, adding
that a pilot's track record is taken into consideration and that
the FAA is given wide latitude in determining punishment. Huey's
flight history was not immediately available.
The flights could also yield criminal charges if it's determined
the man violated a restraining order by annoying or harassing the
protected woman, said Contra Costa County deputy district attorney
Jason Peck of the domestic violence unit. Prosecutors may consider
filing a separate charge for every flyby, with each count carrying
a penalty of up to a year in jail or $1,000 fine, Peck said.
This might not be the first time Huey has been under scrutiny.
According to news reports, in October 2006 he was one of two pilots
diverted by fighter jets to Merced after entering restricted
airspace in Stockton, CA, during a Presidential visit. Huey was
interviewed by Secret Service agents and released.