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Posted: 9:49 PM Jan 13, 2009
Missing Pilot's Link to Destin
Sources in the local aviation community say Marcus Schrenker traveled to the Destin Airport several times last year and his father owns a home in Miramar Beach. Reporter: Alex DenisEmail Address: Alex.Denis@wjhg.com Marcus Schrenker |
A single-engine Piper Malibu Meridian flown by Marcus Schrenker is seen after having crashed in East Milton, Fla.An Indiana businessman whose financial management companies were under investigation apparently bailed out of his small plane and let it crash in what may have been an elaborate attempt to fake his own death. (AP Photo/Pensacola News Journal, Gary McCracken) Original Filename: Small_Plane_Crash_FLPEJ101.jpg
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Authorities say the flight plan Schrenker filed Sunday had Destin Airport as his final destination. Many are wondering why he'd be flying to Destin.
Schrenker has a local connection.
Thirty-eight-year-old Marcus Schrenker is an experienced stunt pilot and quite familiar with the Destin area. Sources in the local aviation community say Marcus traveled to the Destin Airport several times last year.
Schrenker's father owns a home on Olde Towne Ave in Miramar Beach. We tried to contact Schrenker's father, but were unable to reach him. No one's seen him since news of the crash.
Neighbors say they met Marcus Schrenker last summer. He was apparently here with his wife, his children and his dog. Neighbors say it's completely out of character for Marcus to attempt to fake his own death.
Ray Mansfield has been a pilot for 41 years and is also an instructor. He says the story about the aircraft's windshield imploding under heavy turbulence is highly unlikely.
Ray Mansfield, an instructor pilot, said, "It's extremely uncommon, so it's something he evidently decided to do. This sounds like a good accident scenario."
Mansfield was also highly critical of Schrenker for breaking one of the unwritten rules of pilots. He says when Schrenker set the auto-pilot then bailed out of the plane, he put those below at risk.
"I think every pilot is always concerned if something happens. He don't want to go into an area where there's other people on the ground."
Earlier today investigators discovered that Schrenker had stashed a red motorcycle inside an Alabama storage unit a day before the crash.
Investigators say the bike is gone, and his clothes were left behind. Indiana authorities have now charged Schrenker with fraud.
Latest Comments
Best I can tell this guy isn't as smart as he thinks he is. They never are. Milton has an airstrip just east of town, but he was headed out to sea to dispense of the evidence of the missing pilot. But Milton also has NAS Whiting Field who would have scrambled jets from NAS Pensacola to also confirm he was already long gone. ("Alleged" crooks like this may be able to escape a flying million dollar baby, but "suspects" this stupid won't escape justice for long.
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Marcus Schrenker






