Pilot threatening to crash stolen plane into a Walmart store in city lands safely: Mississippi Gov
Washington, Sep 3: A pilot, who was circling a stolen airplane for hours over Tupelo, a city in the state of Mississippi in the US, and threatened to intentionally crash it into a Walmart store has been taken into custody after he landed the aircraft safely, Governor Tate Reeves said on Saturday.
Mississippi Governor Reeves announced on Twitter that the situation has been resolved and that no one was injured.
The plane over North MS is down. Thankful the situation has been resolved and that no one was injured. Thank you most of all to local, state, and federal law enforcement who managed this situation with extreme professionalism, Reeves said in a tweet.
The pilot was taken into police custody, authorities said.
The nine-seater airplane started circling over Tupelo, Mississippi, about 5 am local time, when the pilot made contact with 911, issuing the threat, according to CNN.
It was airborne for more than five hours, which police described as a dangerous situation.
About 8:30 am local time, the plane was north of Tupelo, police said.
A government source said the aircraft was later flying over the Holly Springs National Forest, CNN reported.
A reporter of local television station WTVA showed footage of the plane perched in a field, according to the BBC.
The Daily Journal, a local newspaper, reported that the pilot of the plane is an employee of Tupelo Regional Airport.
Authorities believe the aircraft a Beechcraft King Air C90A was stolen.
An online flight tracking service showed the plane meandering in the sky for several hours and following a looping path.
Details of the conversation between the pilot and police while he was in the air, or his identity, were not immediately made public, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, the Walmart and another nearby store were earlier evacuated by security officials, while citizens were asked to avoid the area.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it "is aware and is coordinating with local law enforcement," the agency told CNN Saturday.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
