An Illinois pilot who tried to beat traffic and fly his son to a tennis match — landing his ski-equipped 1949 Piper Clipper on a snow-covered golf course — is being investigated by the FAA. Police arrived at the scene Saturday afternoon after concerned neighbors called to report a crash, and found pilot Robert Kadera, 65, and his 14-year-old son trudging through the snow, the Chicago Tribune reported. “We’re all pretty dumbfounded,” Lincolnshire Police Chief Randy Melvin told the Tribune. “I don’t have any idea what the guy was thinking. … He was going to park his plane across the street, like nobody would notice.” The FAA is checking that the pilot and aircraft are properly certified, a spokeswoman told the Tribune. The golf course owner said no trespassing charges would be filed, but the police wouldn’t allow to Kadera to fly home.
A crane and a flatbed removed the airplane from the landing site.
