Kamikaze Small Plane Pilot Hits Tampa's Tallest Building

newsmax.com ^

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

A fifteen-year-old student pilot apparently trying to recreate the 9/11 kamikaze attack on the World Trade Center slammed a stolen Cessna 172 private airplane Saturday into Tampa, Florida's Bank of America building, the city's tallest structure.

Charles J. Bishop, a 15-year-old flight student from Great Britain, stole the small aircraft from Albert Whitted Municipal Airport in nearby St. Petersburg at about 5 p.m., law enforcement sources said.

Bishop was killed as the Cessna carrying 56 gallons of fuel slammed into the Bank of America tower, leaving the tail section of the plane dangling precariously from its side.

The fuel did not ignite, though authorities remain concerned over the potential for a Twin Tower-like conflagration.

Despite sharing national origin with American Airlines shoe bomber Richard Reid and attempting to mimic the 9/11 hijackers, the FBI said Bishop's stunt had no connection to terrorism.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was in pursuit of Bishop's plane after being alerted by local air traffic controllers of the unauthorized take off. Witnesses said the plane made no effort to avoid the Tampa skyscraper as the Coast Guard chopper crew frantically signaled it to land at a nearby Tampa airport.

The plane's wings tore from the fuselage when it struck the 23rd and 24th floors, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

Bishop, a student at East Lake High School in Palm Harbor, Florida who had taken flying classes for two years, was at the airport with his mother and grandmother performing a pre-flight check when he got into the plane and unexpectedly took off, Pinellas County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Greg Tita said.

[goldstategop]

This was an act of terrorism even if our government won't say so. There are less conspicuous way to shuffle off your mortal coil if you are suicide minded. And fyi your typical suicide doesn't try to take other lives with him.

[jmp702]

C'mon. I'm just having fun.

I would take issue though, in that many suicides are preceded by murder. Be it family, loved one, co-workers, etc.

[goldstategop]

OK, I'll lighten up. ;-)

You're talking about murder-suicides. Do you think this is what this kid behind the controls of his Cessna had in mind?

[Cvengr]

A myth has evolved surrounding the 9/11 attacks on the WTC that a plane crash into a tall building can cause it to crash by self destruction.

The WTC was fairly unique in its design in that it structurally was closer to box tubing than a pole or truss with cantilevered floors.

Even had a 727 crashed into the Florida building it probably wouldn't fall. The WTC collapse was IMHO well planned ahead of time and probably chosen in part because of those features as well as its reputation as a landmark.

The best way to insure more terrorist attempts is to create kneejerk regulations which alter our culture in response to each of these little episodes. Essentially we're dealing with little spoiled kids who never learned that they won't get what they want by acting up. If our society hasn't matured to the point to realize that those who are so immature should not be given any quarter, then we probably deserve to not remain in any controllable power.

The actions of terrorists don't warrant abandonment of Constitutional rights for the public, they warrant the curtailment of rights of the terrorist.

[goldstategop]

You're right about one thing: Charles J. Bishop didn't do his homework and he flunks out of life with an "F."

[Rokke]

By way of comparison, 56 gallons of avgas coming from the wings of a cessna does not have the destructive effect of a high explosive warhead equipped supersonic air to air missile. And if that cessna had been hit by one today, the debris raining down onto Tampa would have been much more ugly than the impact that did happen. Also, exactly how long was our intrepid aviator actually airborne? How much time do you suppose is required to determine he had bad intentions? How much effort should be made to try to determine someone's objectives? Should we just blast away at anyone who flies near a city and doesn't respond on the radio? That ought to make for some exciting viewing for anyone living within 50 miles of a major city.

[jmp702]

IMO it was an act of suicide (not terrorism) by a troubled teenager. He most likely was copying 9/11, knowing that he would receive a bunch of posthumous attention and notoriety.

[goldstategop]

We can't read minds. So we can't really stop any one until its too late and we can't stop them beforehand cause the damage to civilians and property beneath them would be greater than anything inflicted on the perp. So according to you we're stuck between a rock and a hard place. How wonderful.

[goldstategop]

You're probably right. Still how many teens do you figure cry for attention by going out in such a spectacular fashion? Thank heaven this Bishop didn't claim as many victims as they killers at Columbine did. And you can be sure of one thing: the anti-gun lobby can't milk this incident for all the publicity its worth since a gun wasn't used here.

[Rokke]

Yes, I would definetely say we are stuck. The simple fact is, shooting down airplanes is not the solution we should rely on. A terrorist who hijacks an airplane with the intent of crashing it into something, doesn't really lose when we shoot him down before he gets there. We've still lost a hundred or so Americans, and worse yet, we had to pull the trigger. How about this solution...what if the FAA mandated that every airliner be equipped with a secure, remote control bomb that could be detonated if that airliner was hijacked. Do you think the public would buy off on that? I doubt it. Yet, we are willing to blow millions of dollars flying fighter aircraft around the clock in the hopes that they can reach, receive clearance and shootdown a hijacked airliner before it takes out another valuable target. It just isn't realistic, and it isn't a good solution. The simple fact is, it is almost impossible for the government to prevent another 9-11 attack. That job rests on the shoulders of every single person who flies in an airplane. We've already proven it can work. We just need people to take the responsiblity.

[goldstategop]

Like Todd Beamer & Co? YESSS!!! The drawback is though where you have a solo kamikazi you just can't take back control of the plane unless: well an idea would be to install circuitry that would enable an ATC tower to take control of a plane and land it safely if it deviated from preapproved flight plans stored in the onboard computer's memory. And we could program planes to not take off unless there was a flight plane filed in advance of take off. What do you think?

[Miss Marple]

Have you seen any more information on this kid's background? I am curious if he had been hanging around mosques, or was investigating Islam. Walker, you remember, converted at age 16.

I want to know if there is an on-going recruitment program in the mosques for the terrorist organizations. I think it quite likely...Walker didn't think about going to Yemen on his own, I am certain.

[JZoback]

A fifteen-year-old student pilot apparently trying to recreate the 9/11 kamikaze attack on the World Trade Center slammed a stolen Cessna 172 private airplane Saturday into Tampa, Florida's Bank of America building, the city's tallest structure.

This is PURE speculation he was trying to recreate 9/11

Yeah, pure NewsMax.

No wonder my respect for their publication is at a all time low

[Leisler]

We have to keep small plane out of the hands of children. If only that plane was equiped with a yoke lock. There are too many planes in this country in private hands. Europe has less and they don't have plane crashing into buildings. How many more must die before something is done!<sarcasm off

[metesky]

Skyscraper Hit: from the Tampa Tribune

[Tennessee_Bob]

Should we just blast away at anyone who flies near a city and doesn't respond on the radio?

I say issue every homeless person a Stinger missile and let them have at it. Not only would we control overflights of our cities by pure fear, think about how quickly the pigeon population would drop as well!

[CDHart]

"Don't ya wonder where those planes were that should have shot it down?"

Good question!

Carolyn

[Tennessee_Bob]

"Don't ya wonder where those planes were that should have shot it down?"

Sitting on the ground waiting for their scramble orders.

[Aeronaut]

England seems to be a hotbed of Islamic extremism.

Are we going to have to attack England?

"Any nation that harbors... G.W.B. </attempt at humor>

[Hugh Akston]

There is one reason the WTC towers came down, and it had nothing to do with the contruction of the building being tubular in nature.

It had to do with the full load of jet fuel, which would melt girders of any style of construction.

Asbestos was one thing which could have delayed them coming down, but unless that fire was extinguished or minimized, those buildings were coming down.