CAMARILLO : No Joke, Somebody Stole His Plane

A twin-engine Cessna 310-F was reported stolen from Camarillo Airport after it had been missing for up to two months, police said.

Daniel York of Canoga Park last saw his $30,000, 28-year-old yellow plane on June 15, Sgt. Paul Oechsle said Wednesday.

A month later, on July 16, airport authorities notified him that the plane was missing. York, however, thought someone might have played an expensive practical joke on him, he told police, and he did not pursue the matter. On Monday, realizing he was wrong, he reported the theft to police.

The plane’s license number and other identifying information have been reported to the Federal Aviation Administration and will be put on an air traffic controllers’ list of stolen planes, Oechsle said.

But Oechsle said it will be very difficult to find after such a long time. “It’s like a stolen car. If someone wants to chop it up and paint it, it’s going to be awful hard to spot,” he said.