BIRMINGHAM—A Hayden man pleaded guilty
Wednesday in federal court to interfering with the June flight of a restored
biplane landing at a private airfield beside his Blount County home by firing
several shotgun blasts, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI
Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Haley, III.
Jason Allen McCay, 36, entered his plea
before U.S. District Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins to one count of attempting
to interfere with the authorized operation of an aircraft flying in the United
States.
McCay is scheduled for sentencing
January 10. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine.
According to McCay’s plea and other court
documents, his interference with the aircraft occurred as follows:
McCay fired several shots from a
12-gauge semi-automatic Maverick shotgun as a restored 1943 Boeing Stearman
biplane flew over his home on June 22 on its final approach to land on Campbell
Field, a private grass strip runway next to McCay’s home. The plane was at an
altitude of about 75 feet and was about 300 feet from touching down when McCay
fired the shots.
Fred Campbell, who built the airstrip in
1963, bought the Stearman biplane in 1976 and, since that time, he and friends
have completely rebuilt the plane. The plane had not flown for 30 years when
they took it up on test flights June 22. The plane was concluding its third
test flight of the day when McCay fired his shots.
McCay previously had filed numerous
complaints with various agencies about airplanes flying over his house. He told
investigators he fired when the Stearman biplane flew over his home because he
wanted to scare the people on board.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland
Security investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Whisonant
Sr. prosecuted.
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