A pilot’s last words were recorded before he crashed and died in a plane from a Texas flight school.
Logan Timothy James, 23, from Stokesdale, North Carolina, stole a Cessna 172 Skyhawk from the ATP Flight School located at Addison Airport around 7pm Wednesday.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said that James was allowed to use the aircraft for a practice flight maneuver, but once he was in the sky he informed the air traffic controller that was ‘actually going to depart to the east.’
‘I’m climbing up through a few clouds and then just gonna head outside of everything,’ James said, according to audio recording posted by VasAviation.
‘And about right now you’ll probably realize that I’m not gonna listen to ya’ll’s instructions and I’m just heading to East Texas.’
Logan Timothy James, 23, crashed a Cessna 172 Skyhawk into a field near Telephone, Texas on Wednesday and died at the scene
Authorities said that he then went on to fly east before he headed north toward the border of Texas and Oklahoma and crashed into a field near Telephone, Texas and was pronounced dead at the scene.
James was the only person on board, but it is unclear if he declared an emergency before he crashed.
It is also unclear if the plane was stolen or not, and why exactly he decided to fly away.
Before he went radio silent, James also said that he was going to ‘pull the Comm 1 circut breaker and the Comm 2 circuit breaker,’ before he microphone cut off.
The traffic controller then responded: ‘Say again,’ as they kept trying to get in communication with James for about 10 minutes.
The Federal Aviation Administration database showed that James was issued a private pilot certification on December 24, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
James’ father told CBS News that his son grew up in North Carolina and that he graduate from The University of Texas at Dallas.
His father described him as ‘a wonderful son, with a gentle and loving spirit’ and said that he dreamt of becoming a commercial pilot
The plane is seen just before it crashed near the Texas- Oklahoma border
His father also said that James recently started training at the flight school in June and had dreams of becoming a commercial pilot.
His father went on to describe him as ‘a wonderful son, with a gentle and loving spirit.’
ATP Flight School told KTVT that the crash ‘occurred in a remote area, and there were no injuries to anyone on the ground.’
‘Our thought and prayers are with the pilot’s family, loved ones, friends and colleagues,’ the school’s statement said.
The flight school said that they are cooperating with both local and federal authorities as the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and Addison Police Department are currently investigating the incident.
A Cessna 172 Skyhawk is four-seat, single-engine plane that was first flown in 1955 and is ‘ideally designed for instructors, students and observers alike,’ according to Textron Aviation.