The pilot left the plane nose-down in the sand and walked away, but witnesses gave police a description.
A Miami man was arrested Feb. 8 on suspicion of theft after landing a small plane on a beach in Half Moon Bay, in Northern California, then walking away.
The single-engine plane landed nose-down just south of Poplar Beach at about 5 p.m., the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office
said in a news release. The beach is about 30 miles south of San Francisco.
The plane was not damaged, and witnesses say they saw the pilot walk away,
ABC7 reported.
An investigation revealed the plane had been stolen from the Palo Alto Airport, the sheriff’s department said. The airport on San Francisco Bay is about 15 miles east of where the plane landed.
Deputies soon located a person matching the description of the pilot.
The man was identified as Luiz Gustavo Aires, 50, of Miami. He is being held at the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, the sheriff’s news release said.
One witness who spoke to ABC7 said the plane flew over her twice.
“The first buzz was so fast, it was a normal speed and it flew right over my head—like 20 feet over my head,” said Kathleen Kennedy of Santa Clara.
The sheriff’s office said they are working with Palo Alto police on the investigation,
NBC reported.
The theft of small planes is not unusual. In January, a small plane was stolen from a Torrance parking lot. Surveillance video showed a white pickup making off with a trailer storing the plane,
KABC reported.
And in December, an Idaho man was arrested on suspicion of stealing a small plane in North Las Vegas and flying it to Barstow, California,
ABC 7 reported.
