The FBI arrested Christian Estoque in California on charges of operating an unregistered aircraft and for allegedly stealing a Van's RV-12iS from Auburn Municipal Airport in Washington state.
Estoque, who holds no pilot certificates, admitted to operating the aircraft while under the influence of methamphetamine.
The stolen aircraft was recovered at Corona Municipal Airport in California, the same location where Estoque was apprehended on January 27.
Estoque has been released on bond, and an ongoing investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s LAX Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The FBI has arrested a suspect in the theft of an aircraft in Washington state.
According to a statement from the agency, an investigation by the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force led to the arrest of Christian Estoque, 38, of Pomona, California, on January 27. Estoque was charged with operating an unregistered aircraft.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
