Plane Causes Hijacking Scare in Orlando
May 15--SANFORD -- Looking back on a weekend scare at Orlando Sanford International Airport, officials Sunday said all their planning paid off and authorities' response went like clockwork when a small plane sent out an erroneous signal that it had been hijacked.
Compounding concern was the plane's veering into restricted airspace over Patrick Air Force Base while the pilot did not answer radio calls.
"It was a good drill for all of us," airport President Larry Dale said. "It went pretty smoothly."
A host of agencies from the FBI and Homeland Security to law enforcement across Central Florida were involved, and everyone reacted properly, Dale said.
The incident started before noon Saturday when a rented four-seat Cessna plane took off from the Sanford airport. Planes broadcast a signal so they can be identified on radar. Pilots enter an assigned number when they are in an airport's restricted airspace but use the number 1200 otherwise, Dale said.
Either the transponder on the plane malfunctioned or the pilot accidentally entered "7500," sending out a signal that the plane had been hijacked, he said.
Police initially closed access to the airport, but Dale said he ordered gates reopened when he learned the plane was flying southeast and was 30 miles from the airport. Flights in and out of the airport were not affected, he said.
An already suspicious incident intensified when the plane flew into restricted airspace over Patrick Air Force Base near Satellite Beach. The infringement wasn't a close call, Seminole County sheriff's Lt. Don Rufo said.
"It was about 31/2 miles worth" of encroachment, he said.
Soon after, a Brevard County sheriff's helicopter began following the plane while trying to reach the pilot by radio, Rufo said.
After the plane flew close to Walt Disney World and around Lake Apopka, a Seminole sheriff's helicopter took over for the Brevard helicopter, Rufo said.
Authorities finally made radio contact with the pilot, Wayne Lukens, 62, of Winter Springs, when he contacted the Orlando International Airport control tower to get permission to land at the Sanford airport, Rufo said.
"The FBI called me to meet the plane," Dale said. "At that point, we didn't know if it was a real hijacking or not."
With the sheriff's helicopter hovering overhead, Lukens and a passenger were removed at gunpoint and the plane was searched. Both were cooperative and were released after questioning. Lukens, who could not be reached for comment Sunday, may face fines or sanctions from the Federal Aviation Administration, Rufo said.
A day after the incident had been handled as if it were the real thing, Dale was able to chuckle about it Sunday. "It was about 45 minutes worth of drill for everyone."
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