On Jan 24, 2024, a small plane crash claimed the life of a 23-year-old man in Fannin County. Authorities revealed that the aircraft involved had been stolen from an Addison, Texas flight school.
The pilot was identified as 23-year-old Logan Timothy James from Stokesdale, N.C., the Texas Department of Public Safety told Local Profile. The single-engine Cessna 172 was taken from the ATP Flight School at Addison Airport. The aircraft was then flown over 80 miles northeast towards Paris, Texas.
Local Profile reached out to the flight school for comment, but did not receive a response prior to publishing. This story will be updated pending response.
Just after 8:15 p.m., James crashed into a field near the Fannin and Lamar county lines, in close proximity to County Road 2180 and Farm-to-Market Road 79, situated between the towns of Telephone and Direct. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, James informed a KADS Tower that he was "not going to listen to KADS Tower's instructions,” stating his intention to head to East Texas.
"I’m going to pull the comm 1 circuit breaker and the comm 2 circuit breaker right here soon, as soon as I unkey the mic," James said.
The ADS-B track of the aircraft then indicated a departure from KADS towards the east. After turning north over Sulphur Springs the aircraft proceeded northwest over Paris. The final report from the aircraft indicated a steep vertical descent of -4736 feet per minute, culminating in impact with the ground south of the Red River.
According to Fox4, James had an apartment in Allen. He was issued his private pilot license in December from the Addison flight school.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are leading the ongoing investigation. Local Profile reached out to the Addison Police Department regarding the plane’s theft, but did not receive a response prior to publishing.
