Two adolescent boys, aged 14 and 15, were arrested Thursday in Utah after allegedly taking a light sport aircraft for a Thanksgiving joyride. The duo, who police say had earlier made off with a tractor, took the aircraft from a private airstrip in Jensen in the northeast corner of Utah. They reportedly got it airborne and flew at least 32 miles west along Interstate 40 before turning around and landing successfully at the municipal airport in Vernal. They were arrested at the airport.
The boys walked away from a group home in the Salt Lake City area and were staying with friends in Jensen, about 200 miles east. They got the tractor going and drove it to the private airstrip. They are facing a lot of charges and are being held at a juvenile detention center. There has been no mention of whether either of them has had any flight training or experience.
