50-Year-Old Stole Plane, Nosed Over on Beach During Landing

Luiz Gustavo Aires, also known as "Sunrock," has pleaded no contest to a felony charge for the theft of an airplane from Palo Alto Airport. Final sentencing is slated for December 6.

Aries is accused of stealing a small aircraft, valued at around $150,000, from the Palo Alto Airport. After learning that it had not been refueled, he executed an unplanned landing on a Half Moon Bay beach. The aircraft nosed over into the sand, but ultimately received little exterior damage. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and arrested a man fitting Aires’s description.

Aires, reportedly a transient with a Miami address, initially attempted to represent himself in court. However, after a brief delay to process his self-representation request, Commissioner Rebecca Woodson denied his motion on the basis of inadequate qualifications. After being appointed legal counsel, Aires changed his plea to not guilty and bail was set at $10,000.

The aircraft theft attracted attention due to Aires’s claim that he only intended to expose airport security vulnerabilities to the Department of Defense. San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe explained that Aires spent several hours at Palo Alto Airport before discovering an unlocked plane and taking off.

Palo Alto police noted that the specific plane Aires used did not require a key to start, raising questions about airport access and security. Police have not yet determined how Aires gained entry to the airport grounds.

More recently, Aires returned to enter a no-contest plea, meaning that he accepts the charges without admitting guilt. He faces a possible two-year prison sentence under the terms of his plea deal.

“I cannot remember another occasion in all the years where we've charged that,” stated Wagstaffe.

FMI: www.cityofpaloalto.org