A former student pilot was sentenced to more than a year in a federal prison on September 17, after flying a stolen airplane from Perry-Houston County Airport in Perry, Georgia. The former student pilot flew the aircraft, a Beechcraft Bonanza A-36, across multiple states.
Rufus Crane pleaded guilty in June to one count of interstate transportation of a stolen aircraft, which could have carried up to a 10 year sentence and a maximum fine of $250,000. Cane’s sentencing will ultimately see him face three years of supervised release after he serves his one year and one day prison sentence.
In addition to the prison sentence, Crane was ordered to pay $875 in restitution to the Perry-Houston County Airport, The Macon Telegraph reported.
Prosecutors said Crane took the aircraft from the Perry airport on the night of May 3, 2024, and flew it to JAARS-Townsend Airport in Waxhaw, North Carolina. Court records show he turned off the aircraft’s transponder during the flight, helping to conceal its location, altitude and speed. Crane later stopped at a South Carolina airport for fuel before attempting to return to Perry. Fog prevented him from landing safely, and he diverted to Cochran Municipal Airport before eventually bringing the plane back to its hangar.
Funny that the image unintentionally includes the first half of #FAFO.
Suspicious, I say again.