The FBI arrested Christian Estoque of Pomona, California, for operating an unregistered aircraft, linking him to the theft of a Van’s RV-12iS from Auburn Municipal Airport in Washington.
Estoque was apprehended in California while attempting to operate an unregistered aircraft, and the stolen plane, which had its transponder disengaged, was recovered at the same airport.
He admitted to operating the plane under the influence of methamphetamine and does not possess any pilot certificates.
Estoque appeared before a federal magistrate and was subsequently released on bond, as a multi-agency investigation continues.
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.
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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.
