Luftfahrtforum Österreich

Airwise wrote:Tuesday May 9, 2006
French Fliers Spark Security Scramble In Florida

Two French adventurers in an ultralight plane touched off a security scare on Wednesday when they flew across the Florida Straits from Cuba and made an unauthorized landing in Key West.

Agents from the Border Patrol, Customs and the FBI rushed to the Florida Keys tourist town's airport with lights flashing when the tiny, zebra-striped two-seater touched down. Customs officials later learned the homemade plane carried French bush pilot Alexis Peltier, founder of the Monaco-based environmental group "Wings for Earth," who picked up the ultralight in South America at the start of a journey through North America, Greenland, Europe and Africa.

The plane's fuel tank is so small that the pair have to land often to refill. "We were just flying from Chile to Africa. It's a long story," Peltier said before agents whisked him away for questioning. Peltier, 42, and his companion, Yves Stindel, 61, another French national, had stopped in Cuba for fuel and were looking for more in Key West, US officials said.

"There was never any threat and there was no attempt to avoid detection," Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Jennifer Connors said. No criminal charges have been filed against the men, although they could face an administrative complaint for failing to file a flight plan.

US authorities tend to react quickly to unidentified aircraft coming from Cuba, at odds with the United States since Cuban President Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Over the years, numerous hijacked or stolen planes have been flown across the 145 km passage between Cuba and Key West by Cubans bent on defecting.