Wednesday, January 30, 2002

Flight instructor gets 30 days jail for buzzing fairground The flight instructor in charge of a plane that "buzzed" the Kiwanis Fair in Fayette County in September has pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful flight of an aircraft. In Fayette County State Court last Wednesday, Judge Fletcher Sams sentenced Andrew Waits, 22, of Fayetteville to 30 days in jail followed by two years on probation. Waits also must pay a $2,000 fine, serve 100 hours community service, surrender his pilot's license and submit an essay to the court about the responsibilities of flight instructors both before and after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The incident, which involved the aircraft buzzing the fairgrounds twice, took place two weeks after the attacks, sending some fairgoers into a panic, according to authorities. Prosecutors dropped other charges against Waits that were originally filed in connection with the incident two counts of reckless conduct and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Waits was ordered to submit himself for the jail sentence April 18 after a status hearing on the case. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to the News Home Page| Back to the top of the page