U.S. & German Pilots From News Dispaches NEW DELHI: Indian Air Force jet fighters forced down two civilian planes with American and West German pilots last week because they were near sensitive military installations Indian and American officials said on June 22,
The aircraft have been seized and the four pilots including two Americans have been handed over to the Intelligence Bureau for investigation,” a Defense Ministry spokesman said. The Americans were identified as Frank Haile Jr. of Dallas and his copilot, Carson Gilmore of Rocksprings Tex.
They have been held for violating the law of the land, for flying in a restricted security area and for not sticking to their flight path,” a Home Affairs Ministry spokesman said.
A United States Embassy spokesman said the planes were forced to land at Bhuj in the western state of Gujarat 375 miles northwest of Bombay on June 16. The spokesman said an American diplomat had been sent to Bhuj, a major base for the Indian Air Force near the Pakistani border, and had seen the detainees.
An American official said that the two Americans were apparently the part of an effort to fly Beechcraft planes around the world and that the planes appeared to have been “blown way off course” by a storm.
The Defense Ministry said the two Beechcraft Bonanzas had cleared a flight plan from New Delhi to Bahrain. A ministry spokesman said the planes were 300 miles off course when they were forced down.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 30, 1989
