Soldier Who Flew Over Reagan Ranch Gets 60 Days for Lying

An Army private was sentenced Monday to 60 days in prison for lying to investigators about a flight he took over President Reagan’s Santa Barbara ranch.

U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real also ordered Ralph Myers, 33, to perform 1,000 hours of charitable work in connection with the August, 1987, flight, which brought Myers’ private plane within about 1,000 feet of Reagan’s helicopter.

“There’s a lot to be said about the process. I haven’t gotten a fair trial since Day One,” Myers, a private stationed at Ft. Lewis, Wash., complained to reporters outside the courtroom.

Myers, who had been on a pleasure flight to Orange County when the incident occurred, initially told government agents that he had inadvertently flown in prohibited airspace over Reagan’s Rancho del Cielo because he had trouble with a contact lens.

He corrected the story a day later, saying that he had been skirting the area closely to avoid low clouds and had strayed into the airspace in order to avoid a collision with Reagan’s Marine One helicopter and another government aircraft nearby.

Myers was convicted of making false statements to government investigators in connection with his initial story. His lawyers are appealing the conviction, arguing that no one believed Myers’ contact lens story or relied upon it, and the false statements thus do not meet the definition of “material” statements required for conviction under the statute.

During his sentencing hearing, Myers apologized for lying about the incident. “I did the wrong thing last August by not being exact with investigators while I was confused and under stress, and I cannot condone what I did,” he told the judge.

But Myers noted that he had “come clean” within 24 hours and corrected the story.

Outside the courtroom, Myers told reporters that he was the victim of government “hysteria” stemming from initial reports that he had been involved in a near-collision with the President’s helicopter.

Since then, he said, there has been evidence that he strayed only about a third of a mile into the prohibited area, and came only within 800 to 1,000 feet of Marine One.

Real sentenced Myers to a total of six years imprisonment, but suspended all but six months and specified that the six months could be served on weekends, allowing Myers to return to military duty.

Myers has already been demoted one pay grade for being absent without leave at the time of the incident.