Police say drunken birthday ended with high-flying caper

The Houston Chronicle ^ | March 3, 2004 | By RICHARD STEWART

[mylife]

Police say drunken birthday ended with high-flying caper

By RICHARD STEWART

ANGLETON -- Louis Paul Kadlecek had never been in a plane before, but that didn't stop him. Reeling from four days of drinking to celebrate his 21st birthday, he broke into 16 hangars at the Brazoria County Airport, stole two planes and flew one into a power line, police said Tuesday.

Using pilot's manuals, the unemployed tree cutter managed to taxi two planes around the airport before flying off in one early Sunday, authorities said. He didn't get very far before wrecking the aircraft, cutting off electricity to much of Clute and Lake Jackson.

Kadlecek walked away unhurt -- and unidentified. But on Tuesday he was arrested, charged with theft and booked into the Brazoria County Jail.

He told investigators he had been partying since last Wednesday, his 21st birthday, when he started breaking into hangars at the airport early Sunday.

Brazoria County Chief Deputy Sheriff Charles Wagner said Kadlecek knew the airport layout because he had performed community service there after one of his previous arrests.

Police said he managed to get one plane out of the hangar, start the engine and taxi around the airport before bringing it back, saying the plane was too complicated. He then took a two-seater Cessna from another hangar, loaded it with about 24 cans of stolen beer and started taxiing around.

"The pilot's manual was out on the seat beside him," Wagner said.

Once on the runway, Kadlecek told investigators, he decided "to go for it" and revved up the engine. When he thought it was going fast enough, he pulled back on the yoke and the plane took off.

Wagner said he asked him where he was going and Kadlecek said, "I don't know, Mexico, maybe."

The plane didn't have that much fuel. Had he tried to fly too far, he probably would have crashed, Wagner said.

He got about a mile.

Kadlecek told police he peered through the early morning fog and saw a set of high-tension power lines looming. The propeller chewed through the lowest wire, carrying more than 100,000 volts of electricity.

"He said he saw a bright flash of light," Wagner said. Then Kadlecek said "Oh!" followed by an expletive.

The plane fell 100 feet into a heap in a muddy pasture of the Wayne Scott Prison Unit.

Several people saw the crash, Wagner said. One called 911 and, sure that the pilot was dead, drove off to a golf game.

Others saw a man get out of the plane, walk 300 yards to Texas 288 and cross it. Kadlecek told investigators he walked about three miles to his home.

From witness accounts, investigators were able to draw a composite sketch of the suspect.

When the sketch hit newspapers, the sheriff's office started getting leads.

Kadlecek was one of them. When county investigator Richard Foreman contacted Kadlecek and asked him to come to the sheriff's office to be in a lineup Tuesday morning, he agreed but said he didn't have a ride to get there.

Foreman went to pick up Kadlecek at his home just south of Angleton and noticed that he had his toothbrush.

"I've been around long enough to know that he was expecting to be in jail," Foreman said. He said he asked Kadlecek if he had anything to tell him and he hung his head and said, "I did it."

Kadlecek has been arrested by the sheriff's department several times before on charges including burglary, unauthorized use of a vehicle, driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license. When arrested, he was on probation for burglary, Wagner said.

He was charged with felony theft in the most recent incident. Bond hadn't been set Tuesday night. If convicted, he could face two to 20 years in prison.

[mylife]

Welcome to texas Yall!!

I shake my head at the antics of many here but Gosh darn it Boys will be Boys.

[mylife]

Texas adventurer ping

[cyborg]

Haaaaahahaha one of those stories to tell the grandkids.

[mylife]

Anyone familiar with Angleton? I had to go there once to help a manufacturer with a design..smalltown being engulfed by houston..similar to where I live now but Greenville is being slowly swallowed by Dallas

[mylife]

By Gawd!!

[JennysCool]

Aw, you're no fun. :-)

Genuine capers are so few and far between these days, I sometimes fear America is becoming as stolid and gray as the old Soviet Union. All right, you win! Conformity rules, Dean Wormer!

[aculeus]

Several people saw the crash, Wagner said. One called 911 and, sure that the pilot was dead, drove off to a golf game.

In an SUV?

[FreedomFlynnie]

Genuine capers are so few and far between these days, I sometimes fear America is becoming as stolid and gray as the old Soviet Union.

In the old Soviet Union, private citizens weren't permitted to own or fly their own aircraft. Criminal acts such as those perpetrated by our "hero" here tend to push Big Daddy Government towards the same outcome here in the free United States.

Conformity rules, Dean Wormer!

A funny thing to say to a college student who's active in his fraternity (i.e. me). I'm as big a fan of good fun as anyone you'll find on FR (and a much bigger fan than many I've met here). But this isn't anything like "good fun." This is grand theft, reckless endangerment, destruction of public property, vandalism, and a violation of about every FAA regulation there is, and it endangers my right to fly. I'd have sympathy enough for a man who TP'd the quad on campus. I have none for a felon who risks many lives in an action that endangers my right to the pursuit of happiness.

[texasflower]

I have always loved that poem.

[texasflower]

I haven't been to Angleton in many years. Last time I was there, I was taking a patient by ambulance to Houston from Angleton.

We broke down and it was hours before anyone came by. I had a critical patient on board. (This was before cell phones and we didn't even have a portable radio to call our dispatcher)

I will always remember how DARK it was on that road.

[Aeronaut]

[spodefly]

Several people saw the crash, Wagner said. One called 911 and, sure that the pilot was dead, drove off to a golf game.

I like golf too.

[RichInOC]

Lou Kadlecek, America's Most Efficient Criminal.

[leadpenny]

Thanks for the ping.

The sterile 'prel' report here: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/AccList.asp?month=2&year=2004

Ole Louis Paul Kadlecek made a Leap-Day name for himself. He should consider every breath he takes from here on out a bonus. You just don't tangle with power lines, even at 100', and live.

[texasflower]

I emailed this article to my brother in law who lives in Brazoria County. He sounds like a freeper. I've got to try to get him to sign up!

HE WROTE:

This guy "is" a real winner. I'm sure this will be seen by the courts as just a cry for help by someone who has problems expressing them self verbally. He probably didn't realize that breaking into several locked hangers and taking airplanes, that are owned by someone else, was technically "stealing". Since the courts have drawn this to his attention before for taking cars that don't belong to him,... It's easy to see how he would think taking an "airplane" as totally different an probably not the same stealing cars,...right.

It's not so much that we're "lettin' em" in our county, as much as they just flock here. Ever since Judge Zapata got in hot water over talkin' harshly to some jail prisoners, ....and lost his job over it, 'cause some cop's ratted on him ( politics). They must think we're a bunch of civil liberty union criminal coddlers like in San Francisco or Massatuchetts. Well,...and it's taken some doing. But , as part of our "anti domestic terrorism initiative", we've strung a bunch of ,high voltage, stolen airplane excluder lines up on poles to snare any East Texas treecutters that think Brazoria county is the spot to hijack a plane and crash it into a local flea market. His worries have just begun . Now he'll have to endure every verbal beating our local judicial system is "allowed now" to heap on him.

[Conspiracy Guy]

It wasn't a tough guess, the original story said beer was in the plane. But I like lead penny.

CG

[Conspiracy Guy]

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth.
And spilled my beer as I dodged a house.
I've seen the power lines ahead.........

Probably couldn't find power lines in the manual.

CG

[leadpenny]

Although I am clairvoyant, I don't think my prediction was to hard to make, but, I don't believe there was a report of beer in that first AP story. Thanks for the unsolicited compliment too.

At Marble Mountain Airstrip near Danang in 1970 there was an aviation mechanic who got drunk and decided he wanted to go home. He cranked up an Army Beaver and took off without any running lights and headed for Japan. The tower personnel didn't know about it until he had gotten out over the South Chine Sea and, after sobering up a bit, called for assitance and tried to make a landing back at MM. He died.

[leadpenny]

South China Sea

[Conspiracy Guy]

Non-flyers don't realize how easy it is to fly. It's the dang landings that test your skill. I won't strap on an airplane unless I feel 100%. I drink but I wouldn't even look at an airplane after 1 beer.

I thought the original story said their was unopened beer in the airplane and it was still cold. Maybe I was craving a cold beer.

CG