Airport authorities were surprised to find an abandoned aircraft with its front end on the ground beside a runway this week. The pilot of the damaged 1972 Cessna Skyhawk was missing, having apparently made a rough landing causing the plane to veer off the runway.
The unoccupied Cessna N20392 was discovered around 5 am at Naples Municipal Airport in Florida during a period when the airport’s control tower was closed. Security staff noticed two individuals leaving the plane after it landed in the middle of a grassy area, apparently unharmed.
Robin King, the airport communications director, mentioned that they found the aircraft in the field early in the morning, and security personnel had already released the two individuals from the airfield overnight. Flight data showed that the plane had circled over Fort Myers and Naples before landing at the airport just after 2:40 am, leading to the temporary closure of a runway.
In an interview with WINK News, King described the situation as unusual and mysterious. The pilot, identified as 24-year-old Brianna Brown, returned later in the day to find the aircraft removed for inspection. Brown has cooperated with the investigation, speaking with both the Naples Police Department and airport officials.
Lt. Bryan McGinn of the Naples Police Department stated that the pilot informed authorities about sliding off the runway. Brown had reportedly rented the plane from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and is now part of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following a police incident report.
Brown, who hails from Fort Lauderdale, was unharmed during the incident and is assisting with inquiries. The involvement of Brown and the unidentified second person onboard in potential charges remains uncertain at this time.