Don’t Fly A Model Plane Here!

From Bill Kaempffer, Bridgeport Police spokesman:

A hobbyist’s remote-controlled airplane apparently crashed near the PSEG power plant and brought the FBI to the city Sunday because of initial security concerns.

The man’s account, however, checked out, and he was released with a warning not to fly any model aircraft near the power plant in the future.

The incident unfolded Sunday afternoon and into the evening when the man, a University of Bridgeport alumnus and city resident, approached the main security gate at the PSEG plant and stated he had been flying his remote-controlled plane equipped with a camera and lost control of it near the plant. The man stated he thought it might have crashed on PSEG property and asked if he could look for it.

The remote-controlled plane enthusiast went on to state that he had filming his flight all over Seaside Park and even had some footage of the power plant. The security guard contacted police over security concerns over filming the plant.

The man, a citizen of China in the U.S. on a student visa, gave this account to police and later the FBI: He was flying his model plane from the West Beach section of Seaside Park when he lost control of the plane because of the wind. He agreed to let officers to review the video footage, which transmitted from the on-plane camera to a laptop.

The footage showed about 10 minutes of aerial views of Seaside Park and approximately two minutes of footage of the power plant and the surrounding area.

The footage then showed the plane spiraling out of control. The man told authorities that he didn’t intend to film the power plant but it was taken away by the wind.

The FBI responded to the scene, spoke at length with the man, reviewed the equipment and video footage and released him with a stern warning not to fly model planes again near the power plant.

The errant airplane was not recovered.