Kings Detained on Eight-Year-Old Stolen Aircraft Report

GA flying has become discouraging because of the layered requirements to make a 15 minutes flight
to the Bahamas and elsewhere. The requirement of stickers; ifr flite plan; 12 hr advanced filing of separate customs/immigration manifest both in and out; transponder code; waiver forms; ice requirements on arrival. While the basic IFR filing is understandable, the rest is redundant data that is a recent product of Homeland Security and TSA. It results in Government run amuck! AOPA let this crap get by at our expense. How can Government get away with complicating GA for U.S. citizens while allowing 500,000 Mexicans roam free. Stupid!!!!

The seriousness of this incident shouldn’t be sweep under the carpet by the news media or the flying public. Having loaded weapons pointed at your body by overzealous law enforcement people can only lead to tragedy. It’s hard to believe that no one looked at the name on the flight plan or typed the tail number into the FAA Registry to verify the legal owner. This drama started long before the King’s arrival at SBA; insufficient time to research the aircraft isn’t a viable excuse. It took me about 30 seconds on the computer to obtain the ownership information and “N” number reassignment. Besides, who files a flight plan with a stolen airplane? All the tower personal had to do was ask the pilot’s name; they had the departure airport on the flight plan strip. This could have ended sadly for the King’s and GA.

This is an example of the arrogance of our law enforcement community. They presume guilt, and act accordingly and when mistakes are made, usually answer to no one. There is no transparency either, notice it is unlawful to record, video or just voice, the actions of police officers in many locations. Conduct like this cannot be swept under the rug. I truly hope to see more about this, and situations like it in Flying and other media exposing police un-professionalism. The only way this abuse will stop is by citizens making it stop (the squeaky wheel gets the grease). We would be having very different conversations if one of those guns had accidentally discharged and one or both of the Kings were no longer with us. I hope Flying has the "grit" to start a "watchdog" program of sorts which will help develop the transparency we need with law enforcement.

The 'buck' should not stop at the Santa Barbara PD. The 'buck' should go all the way up to George Busch, and others who have spread fear ever since 9/11. George Orwell had it right when he wrote '1984'. It took a little longer than he predicted, but our society has suffered mightily from self-serving politicians spreading fear. If politicians don't have the common sense to lead with courage, rather than to try to gain power by spreading fear, they should be prosecuted for malicious mischief. If law enforcement personnel can't show more common sense and self-control, they should be encouraged to find a different line of work.

I love it. It's all Bush's fault. Having spent more years as a police officer than I care to count up, I guess I have a different perspective. In the 70s and 80s there were many aircraft stolen for use by drug smugglers. They were usually well armed and would shoot it out with police if encountered when they landed on a back road.

In addition, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is where we would go to check an aircraft's number, and it would return a hit if it had been reported stolen, or if it had been used in criminal activities. Of course, this was before George Bush, but we would still take precautionary action.

It's unfortunate that John and Martha were subjected to this type of treatment. It could have been worse--a Florida Highway Patrol officer shot and killed a man who was in a car that had been erroneously reported as stolen when he appeared to reach for a weapon after being told to not move. A tragedy, but hardly the fault of the police officer.

The fault in both cases lies with the organization or individual who did NOT notify the original police authority that the registration number was no longer associated with a stolen aircraft.

The Santa Barbara Police are at best only partially at fault in this. They can only operate based on information provided by other law enforcement agencies. The failure in this event is on the listing agency for not canceling the BOLO when the registration was reissued.

SBPD's procedure to detain the Kings, while unfortunate based on our small aviation community's knowledge of John and Martha, is the standard for investigating occupied, stolen conveyences.

Twenty-twenty hindsight is easy. Officers have to make immediate decisions based on the best information available to them. In my three decade law enforcement career, I personally have faced dozens of stolen vehicles occupied by armed persons that many of us would presume unthreatening, including on more than one occasion children.

A viable solution would be for the FAA to have previously issued Registration numbers checked via the National Crime Information Computer (national law enforcement's) system, by prior to reissuing them to new aircraft.

The Kings should pursue civil legal action, if a case exist against any of the parties involved. That is the only way to get the attention of those responsible for oversight of the authorities. Cities and counties don't seem to care what their incompetent cops are doing until it affects their piggy banks. This must be prevented from happening again, especially on the eve of the FAA's program to free up dormant N numbers.

Reality of this centuary and a very bad way to have to live. 1984 is here and as the world turns it is not getting better until we the people put our foot down and stop the various Governments and the clods who work there from rationalizing their existance and making far too may laws.