Homeland Security Agents Force Plane to Land in San Antonio

WOAI ^ | 1/24/2005 | ElephantinTexas

[ElephantinTexas]

This is my first post so I hope I got it right.

This is breaking here in San Anonio. A single engine plane has been forced down at Stenson Field south of San Antonio. Homeland Security, DPS and SAPD are on the scene. They are waiting for a Chinese tranlator but they have Chinese illegals in custody and said that the pilot was someone Homeland Security has been looking for.

I'll post more as it comes available.

[conservative in nyc]

Here's the plane's registration info:

AFZAL HAMEED
Co-Owned
30 OLD RUDNICK LN
DOVER, DE 19901 US
(Kent County)
1985
17276369
N98873
LYCOMING/0-320 SERIES
180 HorsePower

Fixed Wing Single Engine Info Manufacturer CESSNA
Model 172P
Code 2072436
Number of Seats 4
Number of Engines 1
Number FAA Registered 1,621

Does the 4 seats include the pilot seat, or was the plane a wee bit cramped? And was Afzal flying?

[conservative in nyc]

According to this site, Mr. Hameed and the co-owner of the plane, Ms. Taylor were married in Atascosa County, Texas (South of San Antonio) on October 13, 1980. He was 23 in 1980; She was 45. So he's now 48 and she's 70.

Doesn't fit the typical profile for terrorist smugglers, but who knows?

[ElephantinTexas]

The live report here in San Antonio reported that Afzel (or some other VERY arabic sounding name) was not only the pilot but had been wanted by Homeland Security but I didn't want to try and quote his name and get it wrong from hearing it on the tv.

[twntaipan]

Was the plane forced down? If so, how?

[ElephantinTexas]

This is all they are saying at the time time. The rest is sketchy. The local news will be back on at 5am (CST) so we'll know more then. This is the update.

Homeland Security Agents Force Plane to Land in S.A.
LAST UPDATE: 1/24/2005 10:27:55 PM
Posted By: Walker Robinson
Five suspected illegal immigrants were being questioned Monday night at Stinson Airfield shortly after their plane was forced down by federal agents.
San Antonio Police surrounded the airport close to 9 p.m. Monday after receiving a call for help from the Department of Homeland Security, officials said.
The single-engine Cessna plane was intercepted after officials said it was flying in American airspace illegally. The people on the plane appear to be Chinese.
No word on where the plane left from or its destination.
For the latest on this developing story, watch News 4 WOAI and tune into NewsRadio 1200 WOAI.

[Khurkris]

4+1 in a Cess 172P is a wee bit cramped. Thats one more body than the plane is rated for.

The Cessna 172P SkyHawk II, was one of the last variant produced before Cessna suspended its engine production line in 1985. The 172P is equipped with a 160HP Lycomine O-320 carbureted engine unlike its successor the C172R. Although an older aircraft the 172P can, in most respects, match the performance of the C172R. The 172P also boasts a slightly higher useful load capacity than the C172R.

[conservative in nyc]

Thanks, and welcome to Free Republic! Initial reports are sometimes wrong, so I'm always cautious and take a wait-and-verify approach.

Three things:

1) No way Afzal Hameed actually lives in Dover, Delaware. The 30 Old Rudnick Lane address is likely a mail forwarding service of a Delaware professional services firm. A Google search brings up tons of corporations "headquartered" at that address.

2) An Alyce Stuart Taylor from San Antonio is a flight instructor, according to the landings.com database:

Name : TAYLOR, ALYCE STUART
Airman's Address : 6822 LAGUNA VERDE
SAN ANTONIO, TX, 78239-3628
FAA Region : Southwest
Airman Certificates : Flight Instructor (exp: 31-May-2005)
Airplane Single Engine
Instrument Airplane

It may or may not be THE Alyce S. Taylor referred to in the article. And initial reports are sketchy, so we don't know if she was involved.

3) There's no record of an Afzal Hameed having his pilot's license on that website, although I have no clue how complete their records would be.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Good work finding the info on the plane.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Welcome to Free Republic.

Good work on posting this for us, to read.

Thanks.

[conservative in nyc]

More: Afzal Hameed is President of Alpha Tango Flying Services, Inc. at Stinson Airport. Alyce S. Taylor is co-owner and instructor.

According to a September 23, 2001 Washington Post article, Alpha Tango was one of the 4 flight schools that trained Abdul Hakim Murad. Murad was convicted of masterminding the mid-1990s plot to fly 12 planes into the Pacific and 1 into CIA headquarters.

The article also states:

After the Sept. 11 attack, Afzal contacted the FBI about names on a published list of suspects, believing some of the hijackers might also have taken instruction at Alpha Tango, according to a report in the San Antonio Express-News.

Sounds like the FBI knows who this guy is and where to find him.

[craig_eddy]

Wow, just wow....Wonder if UBL is in China?

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the post/info.

I see there are updates posted here, too. Heads up, Texans.

Homeland Security Agents Force
Plane to Land in San Antonio

Excerpt:

This is breaking here in San Anonio. A single engine plane has been forced down at Stenson Field south of San Antonio. Homeland Security, DPS and SAPD are on the scene. They are waiting for a Chinese tranlator but they have Chinese illegals in custody and said that the pilot was someone Homeland Security has been looking for.

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my Texas ping list!. . .don't be shy.
No, you don't HAVE to be a Texan to get on this list!

[Miss Marple]

Look at this! Please read the entire thread...connection between the illegal Chinese and an Arab connected with 9/11!

[ElephantinTexas]

All that the local news is saying this morning is....
All five that were in the plane at 10pm last night are still being detained and are being questioned.

They are four illegal "Asians", two men and two women plus the pilot. Every other question got.. "No comment".

[Miss Marple]

Thanks for the additional information, and thank you so much for this post! It is WAY more important than my first post! Outstanding effort, Elephant!

I will be gone part of today, but will try to catch up with this later. Welcome to FR!

[Calpernia]

Bump to Homeland Security!!!!!

[ElephantinTexas]

KSAT 12 here in San Antonio is reporting that the pilot is Hameed Afkal, 48yo of SYRIAN decent and has a San Antonio address and owns the Alpha Flight school but his office is now at the San Antonio Airport Campus. I'll try and get that address, I missed it on the tv report. I have three of them going right now. lol.

Also..... here's the story from Fox News.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,145320,00.html

[prairiebreeze]

BTTT and welcome to FR. I am to be in San Antonio next week.

[maggief]

From your FoxNews link:

Capt. Jeff Humphrey, San Antonio police special operations commander, told the San Antonio Express-News in Tuesday's editions that the five suspects were under investigation in connection with a smuggling operation involving Chinese nationals.

[GOP_Proud]

bump