"I don't know what he's doing - he's going everywhere," sputtered a controller as he radioed warnings of an "unknown aircraft" to passenger jets. Lost, Prendergast made several 360-degree turns east of Kennedy before he finally appeared to find his bearings - and was escorted to Republic by an NYPD helicopter sent to chase him down.
Prendergast - a retired Navy pilot whose name was revealed by law-enforcement sources - should have been in radio contact with controllers. Prendergast took off Saturday morning from Martinsburg, W.Va., said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters.
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He was flying a two-seat RV-7A experimental plane, which records show he built himself. As he neared New York, Prendergast headed up the Jersey Shore, slightly inland, Peters said. Prendergast's plan - which was not filed with air controllers - was to cross from Colts Neck, NJ, over water to Robert Moses State Park, then head north and west to Republic. But Prendergast hit Long Island further to the west, flying over Long Beach, which is just east of Kennedy.
Then, said Peters, the meandering pilot headed further north - and turned around as if he were going to land with the big jets on Kennedy Runway 22L. A Taiwanese Eva Air 747 - heading to New York from Atlanta - at one point flew over Prendergast's plane and had to abort its landing. "At least twice, he interfered with aircraft that were attempting to land at Kennedy while they were on final approach," Peters said.
The bungling pilot, evidently realizing he was lost, flew several complete circles before finally heading east toward Republic - chased by the chopper that finally raised him on an emergency radio frequency, sources said. Prendergast has not been charged with any crime, but FAA officials are investigating.
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