Posted on 01/06/2002 12:23:36 PM PST by newsperson999
It was found in the wreckage of the plane in the building.
The Coast Guard sent a helo that intercepted him minutes after take-off. The nearest fighter base is Homestead, and that was 200 miles away. He ignored the Coast Guard and crashed before the fighters could get there.
The Mayor, a democrat, endorsed Bush at Tampa stadium during a pre election rally which drew 15,000 people to see Bush speak.
Pinellas is somewhat more liberal although the election was a dead heat there.
Probably pieces of the prop, and parts of the engine... but that's just a guess...
sorry I need coffee
Ho, hum, just another non-terrorist event.
Don't forget, they also conveniently found one of the hijaker's passports in mint condition w/in hours at WTC.
Bishop and his mother moved to Tampa from Boston, Mass. Boston's not exactly known as a bastion of conservatism.
The whereabouts of his father were still unknown last I heard.
RIGHT. Another massive US government conspiracy to murder thousands of innocent civilians and now one 15 year old kid. The kid must've known too much.
TINFOIL HAT ALERT!!
He had no way of knowing his note wouldn't be readable. He would have had no way of knowing his crash wouldn't result in a fire.
WE on the other hand, have no way of knowing whether he ever intended the note to be READ. Lots of teenagers write their more bizarre thoughts down, and become very angry if a hapless parent or other adult stumbles on to them.
ROFLOL...you'd better be careful...even Fox news anchors seem to be having trouble distinguishing between black humor and serious opinion. They mention this morning on Fox and Friends that some conservatives equated the death of former First Dog, Buddy with the death of Vince Foster. I couldn't believe THEY'D be so stupid as to believe some of us were serious. I'd believe it of Salon, but Fox???
Not quite. Hillsborough County (includes Tampa and surrounding area) has actually become more conservative in recent years. When the Dem party ruled Hillsborough County, it was largely Mafia controlled (remember: Tampa was the home base of one Santo Trafficante). There are some liberals and welfare cases in Tampa, but most people in the city are middle of the road, with suburbs more conservative. Hillsborough may not be perfect (although it did vote for Dubya!), but it is neither Berkely or Broward and Palm Beach County either.
Current AP version follows:
Police Say Pilot Not a Terrorist
By Vickie Chachere
Associated Press Writer
Monday, January 7, 2002; 8:02 AM
TAMPA, Fla. –– Investigators say the 15-year-old who crashed a small plane into a skyscraper had no known terrorist ties despite a note he wrote expressing sympathy for Osama bin Laden and support for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Instead, Charles Bishop was a "troubled" boy and a loner with few friends, Tampa Police Chief Bennie Holder said Sunday.
Bishop deliberately flew the single-engine Cessna 172R into the 42-story Bank of America Plaza in downtown Tampa on Saturday night, Holder said. Bishop was the only fatality.
A short, handwritten note found amid the wreckage detailed Bishop's sentiments, but didn't shed light on why he chose that building, investigators said.
"From his actions we can assume he was a very troubled young man," Holder said.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Butch Wilson said it appears Bishop had full control of the plane after he stole it from the Clearwater flight school where he was taking lessons.
No one in the building was injured and it was expected to reopen Monday, except for an office the plane hit directly.
Holder said there is no indication Bishop specifically targeted the building or "had any intention of harming anyone else."
In Palm Harbor, police unrolled yellow crime scene tape Sunday outside the apartment complex where Bishop lived with his mother, while detectives and FBI agents interviewed family members.
Neighbors said the boy kept to himself, and investigators for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the boy spent much time alone in his room. Investigators seized computers from the home.
Investigators said Bishop had no history of mental problems and did not appear to be using illegal drugs.
Tampa Mayor Dick Greco told the St. Petersburg Times for Monday editions that Bishop hinted of something calamitous the day of the flight.
"If something happens to me, don't let any of my enemies come to my funeral," the mayor said Bishop told his grandmother after she dropped him off for his lesson.
Bishop also recently told certain classmates to watch the news, Greco said.
The suicide note, a few paragraphs handwritten on plain white paper, was not addressed to anyone specifically, said police spokeswoman Katie Hughes. Bishop did not mention his family in it, nor did he say goodbye to anyone, she said.
Bishop's grandmother had taken him to the National Aviation Academy flight school at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport for a 5 p.m. flying lesson on Saturday, authorities said.
He took off without waiting for an instructor who was supposed to accompany him. At 15, Bishop was a year too young to fly solo and two years too young to earn a pilot's license.
The plane was airborne for nine to 12 minutes, briefly flying through airspace over MacDill Air Force Base, said Wilson. The base houses Central Command, which is directing the war in Afghanistan.
Air Force Lt. Col. Rich McClain said the base was notified when the aircraft was about three miles away. It entered base airspace, descended slightly and left one minute later without making any threatening moves, he said.
A Coast Guard helicopter caught up to Bishop over Tampa after he had traveled about 20 miles, and the crew signaled for him to land. Pilots said he ignored them, then crashed the plane.
As a precaution, two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled from Homestead Air Reserve Base, 200 miles away, but they arrived after the crash, said Capt. Kirstin Reimann at the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
The head of the Tampa air traffic controllers union told the St. Petersburg Times that the plane passed just 1,000 feet above a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 that had taken off moments earlier from Tampa International Airport.
Tampa controllers warned the pilots of the Southwest Airlines jetliner and they quickly slowed their climb, said Joe Formoso, the head of the controllers union.
"It was only by the grace of God that the Southwest pilots saw it," Formoso told the newspaper.
Investigators said it did not appear that any regulations were violated in leaving Bishop alone with the plane and its keys.
The flight school canceled its regular operations Sunday. Employees reached at home said they had been instructed to refer questions to the school's attorney, Michael Cronin, who did not return calls for comment Sunday.
News of the note police found stunned Bishop's fifth-period algebra teacher, who described him as a bright, disciplined student who was well-liked by his classmates.
"I'm floored. Totally floored," said Rayette Bouldrick. "He always had a smile. He was always pleasant and respectful."
© 2002 The Associated Press
Hey, America, you took GOD out of the Schools, now Allah Satan will take his place.
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