Piper PA-44 Had Been Stolen From A Training Facility In Southern France

A Piper PA-44 Seminole that had been stolen from the aviation training facility at Perpignan airport in southern France went down after flying for about four hours. The pilot has not been identified, and no one has been reported missing in the area.

According to a report appearing on Connexion France, the plane departed at about 11:00 p.m. on February 25 without communicating with Air Traffic Control. The flight lasted about four hours in winds up to 54 knots. There was no post-impact fire associated with the crash, leading authorities to speculate that the plane ran out of fuel.

No identification papers were found with the pilot, who was the only person on board the aircraft. Authorities are conducting DNA testing in an attempt to determine the identity of the pilot.

Investigators believe that the pilot was experienced because he was able to take off at night and flew for four hours over the city. Currently, the focus of the investigation is identifying the pilot, according to a deputy prosecutor in the region.

The plane went down about 5 nautical miles outside Perpignan.

(Image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: Source report