SYRACUSE -- The wife of the man who flew a small plane into an IRS office building in Texas Thursday is speaking out. In a statement released this afternoon, she says she's sorry for everyone affected by the tragedy, but will not comment further. Investigators continue to pick through the debris and into more about the pilot, who lashed out at the IRS on the internet. Police want to know if he put anything in the aircraft to cause more damage to the building. The crash killed the pilot and at least one worker. The incident brings up safety questions about private pilots.
Private pilots like Eric Austin have seen the changes in restrictions and rules over the years.
He said, "Most people in the aviation world cringe when we see something like that happen because there is a lot of knee jerk reaction to limit things tighten up."
Austin says to get into the cockpit, general aviation pilots have to go through hours of training, a written test, a background check, and physical exam.
"You have to disclose any medicines that you're on. There are a number of medicines that if you're on those, you're not allowed to fly," said Austin.
Despite all this, when heading up in the air, pilots leaving from Syracuse don't have to file a flight plan.
Austin said, "Once I'm in the air and gone and I wanted to fly from here to California, I pretty much can do that on my own without a flight plan."
But Austin says even if someone does file a flight plan, usually it's just so the FAA can make sure you get to your destination, not necessarily to track you when you're in flight. But he's confident the current safety measures in place are enough. "Through all the training and re-examinations and medicals and tracking of medicines you may be taking, I think it's very safe in that regard. There are a lot of checks and balances there that take place."
Our local pilots are also required to have an ID badge to allow them access to the planes and the runway.
