Two Boys Crash-Land Plane

Two Big Bear Lake boys were arrested after stealing a small plane from a hangar at Big Bear Airport on Sunday and then making a forced landing in Joshua Tree National Park, authorities said.

The plane, a single-engine Mooney M20C, belonged to the parents of one of the 14-year-old boys, and the two friends apparently were trying to run away from their homes, authorities said.

The boys landed in Pinto Basin, about 30 miles southeast of Twentynine Palms, between 5:30 and 6 p.m. They suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene by rangers, according to park officials.

The boys were booked into San Bernardino County Juvenile Hall on Monday.

They were arrested on suspicion of stealing an airplane and of burglary, for having entered the hangar without authorization, said Cindy Beavers, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Before the plane took off, two pilots at Big Bear Airport who saw the boys taxiing called the craft’s owner and the Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies arrived at 5:31 p.m., but the plane had already left. The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and checked airports for the plane, according to park officials.

Sheriff’s officials said they had received information that the boys were trying to run away.

“There was a disagreement between the boys and their parents, and [the boys] decided to run away,” Beavers said.

The boys bypassed three levels of security before taking off, taking the keys to get into the airport and the hangar, as well as the keys for the aircraft itself, said Garry Dokter, general manager of the airport.

The airport has no control tower and pilots are not required to check in with airport security before taking off, so it is not unusual for people to fly unannounced, Dokter said.

In this case, the two local pilots told officials they were suspicious because they did not recognize the plane’s pilot.

Officials said they were unsure why the plane had to land. It could have run out of gas, Beavers said.

There was only 90 minutes’ worth of fuel in the plane, she said.

Although neither boy has a pilot’s license, the boy who piloted the plane flew regularly with his father and had some knowledge of flying, Dokter said.