Statement on General Aviation Aircraft Incident Response

Statement on General Aviation Aircraft Incident Response at Fresno Yosemite International Airport

Fresno, CA (December 18, 2019) – This morning around 7:30 a.m., a female breached the fence of the Fresno Yosemite International Airport adjacent to Shields and Winery Avenues then entered a King Air 200 propeller driven aircraft and was able to start one engine. The incident occurred in the General Aviation area of the Airport.  No passengers or commercial airlines were ever at risk in this incident. The motive is still under investigation but there is no indication of any ties to domestic terrorism.

The aircraft then began to move and pivot and crashed into a building and a fence on airport property.  The aircraft never became airborne, and there was no fire.  The aircraft sustained substantial damage.  No injuries occurred in this incident.

Airport and Fresno police officers responded to a 9-1-1 call of the aircraft theft and crash.  Fresno officers arrived first and contacted the female, who was seated in the pilot’s seat and wearing the pilot headset.  The female is 17 years old and will not be identified due to her age. The female appeared to be disoriented and was uncooperative when she was taken into custody for theft of an aircraft.  The female will be booked at juvenile hall later this morning.

Fresno Yosemite international Airport is currently working with the Federal Aviation Administration and other authorities investigating this incident.  We would like to thank the Fresno Police Department and Fire Department for their assistance.

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