Pilot of Stolen King Air in Tupelo, Mississippi, Threatens Walmart

The man took the twin turboprop from KTUP in Mississippi with the intention to crash it into a local store.

Saturday, September 03, 2022 at 10:26 AM ET

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The stolen aircraft's flight path ended about 50 miles from Tupelo, near Ashland, Mississippi. [Courtesy: Flightradar24]

Key Takeaways:

A Beechcraft King Air C90A was stolen from Tupelo Regional Airport by pilot Cory Patterson, who threatened to crash it into a local Walmart.
The stolen aircraft flew erratically for several hours, leading to evacuations and authorities engaging in direct communication with Patterson.
The plane ultimately landed in a field, and Patterson was taken into custody; he had posted a "goodbye" message on Facebook before the incident.

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A Beechcraft King Air C90A owned by Southeast Aviation was stolen Saturday from Mississippi’s Tupelo Regional Airport (KTUP), and officials told local news media that the pilot, identified as Cory Patterson, was circling the area, threatening to crash the twin turboprop into a local Walmart. A short time later, the airplane was reported down in a field northeast of Tupelo, about halfway to Memphis, Tennessee, with the pilot in custody, according to CNN’s Pete Muntean.