HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - Authorities identified a 50-year-old Florida man who is suspected of stealing a small plane from Palo Alto Airport on Thursday, ditching it on a beach near Half Moon Bay and walking away.
Luiz Gustavo Aires, of Miami, reportedly landed the plane just south of Poplar Beach about 5 p.m., the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said.
When deputies arrived, the plane was intact and unoccupied.
A short time later, a man matching Aires' description was taken into custody in Half Moon Bay. The sheriff's office is working with Palo Alto police on the theft and recovery of the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration said only the pilot of the single-engine American Champion Citabria 150 was onboard.
Aires was booked into the main jail in Redwood City on suspicion of theft of an airplane.
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