It used to be that kids not happy with things at home would run away and join the circus. Nowadays, they grab the keys to the old man’s Mooney and fly away to Mexico. At least, that’s what two California teens would have done if there’d been gas in the plane, according to police in Big Bear, Calif. The two 14-year-olds managed to get a parentally owned Mooney M20 off the ground from Big Bear Airport on Sunday after one of them had a fight with his parents. They stayed in the air for about 10 minutes before running out of gas and made a relatively safe deadstick landing in the desert near Joshua Tree. A witness saw the boys wheeling the plane out of its hangar and called police but deputies arrived too late to prevent the takeoff. Authorities didn’t catch up to them until some park workers came across them standing near the broken Mooney. The boys had (up until that point, anyway) only minor injuries but, judging by photos of the plane, they’ll be mowing lawns and painting fences for a long time to pay for the damage.
Teens Take Mooney, Not Fuel
Key Takeaways:
- Two 14-year-old teens stole a parentally owned Mooney M20 from Big Bear Airport after one had a fight with his parents, intending to fly to Mexico.
- They successfully took off but ran out of gas after approximately 10 minutes in the air.
- The teens performed a deadstick landing in the desert near Joshua Tree, sustaining only minor injuries but extensively damaging the aircraft.
- Authorities were alerted by a witness but caught up with the boys only after their crash landing, found by park workers.
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