United States: A plane threatens to crash on land in Mississippi, according to Governor Tate Reeves

TUPELO: Authorities say a plane that was flying over northern Mississippi and whose pilot threatened to crash it into the ground landed safely. Governor Tate Reeves announced on Twitter that “the situation has been resolved and no one has been injured”. He thanked law enforcement who helped bring the plane down. The plane started circling TupeloMississippi, around 5 a.m. and was in the air for more than four hours.

A stolen plane flew over northern Mississippi on Saturday morning and police said they evacuated a Walmart store after the pilot threatened to crash into it.
The Tupelo Police Department said in a Facebook post that the Walmart and a nearby convenience store had been evacuated. The plane began flying over Tupelo, Mississippi, around 5 a.m. It was still in the air more than four hours later, but had moved away from Tupelo and was circling over another nearby community.
Police said they contacted the pilot directly.
“Citizens are asked to avoid this area until a green light is given,” police wrote. “With the mobility of an aircraft of this type, the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo.”
Authorities believe the plane – a Beechcraft King Air C90A – has been stolen and are working to determine if the pilot threatening to crash the plane is an employee of a local airport, two people briefed said. on this subject. Associated Press. Several federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, are now involved in the investigation and are working to discern a motive, the people said.
Investigators continued to monitor the flight path and were in communication with the pilot, the sources said.
A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency is aware of the theft and is coordinating with local law enforcement.
Law enforcement told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal shortly after 8 a.m. the plane left the airspace around Tupelo and was flying near a Toyota manufacturing plant in nearby Blue Springs.
An online flight tracking service showed the plane snaking through the sky and following a looping path.
“State law enforcement and emergency officials are closely monitoring this dangerous situation,” Governor Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter. “All citizens should be alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department.”
Leslie Criss, a magazine editor who lives in Tupelo, woke up early and watched the situation on TV and social media. Several of his friends were outside watching the plane circle overhead.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in this town,” Criss told The Associated Press. “It’s a scary way to wake up on a Saturday morning.”
Former state representative Steve Holland, a funeral director in Tupelo, said he received calls from families concerned about the plane.
“One of them called and said, ‘Oh my God, do we have to cancel my mom’s funeral? ‘” Holland said. “I just told them, ‘No, life will go on. “”