MELBOURNE, Fla. – Authorities say a pilot reeked of alcohol after his plane struck a communications tower on the ground at Melbourne International Airport in central Florida.
Christopher Hall was charged Wednesday with reckless operation of a vessel and child abuse without harm. His 10-year-old son also was aboard the twin-engine Cessna as it was preparing to fly to Dayton, Ohio.
The plane taxied across grass at the airport before hitting the tower. An air traffic controller told airport police that Hall didn’t heed instructions and his voice was slurred.
Police officers who searched the plane say they found a half-empty bottle of cognac and a water bottle that had a clear liquid that smelled of alcohol.
The accident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
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