A shopping center at Smith Mountain Lake was evacuated yesterday after a pilot took off from the Roanoke Regional Airport without clearance and discussed committing suicide before flying over the center, according to authorities.

After flying for several hours, the plane circled back to the airport and landed. The pilot was immediately taken into custody.

"FBI negotiators, in dialogue with the pilot, convinced him to land his aircraft," said Roanoke police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson.

She said the identity of the pilot is not being disclosed "as part of the agreement for his safe return." The pilot, she added, was taken for a medical assessment.

The saga began yesterday about 10:50 a.m. when a small plane, a Cessna 172, took off from the Roanoke airport without getting a go-ahead from the flight tower.

The tower contacted local, state and federal authorities, who began monitoring the plane as it flew across the area.

At one point, as the plane flew over the Bridgewater Plaza at Smith Mountain Lake, authorities asked merchants and patrons to leave. Rick Huff, Franklin County's administrator, said between 300 and 325 people left the plaza.

The pilot never indicated that any specific facility was a target, Johnson said, but all jurisdictions across the state were notified while the plane was in the air in the event that evacuations might be needed.

The plane landed in Roanoke shortly after 2:30 p.m. Johnson said no charges have been filed, and the Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing the incident.
Contact Rex Bowman at (540) 344-3612 or rbowman@timesdispatch.com.