User:Eagledj/sandbox/Brothers 2

Russell W. Brothers, Jr., a Nashville businessman, was familiar with Cornelia Fort Airpark and at one time lived there. On the night of April 20, 2012, Brothers—age 75, was piloting a private plane solo from Miami, Florida to Dickson, Tennessee (near Nashville). After mechanical trouble, he crash-landed his 1961 vintage twin-engine Beechcraft airplane at the closed Cornelia Fort Airpark on a grassy area without landing gear. The belly-landing was soft enough that the plane's automatic crash locator which would have alerted authorities was not triggered. Uninjured, Brothers left the scene and did not notify any authorities. His wife picked him up, and the plane was left as a mystery for the police to solve. A maintenance worker saw the plane, but did not alert authorities until it was still there the following morning. The police traced the plane to Brothers and six days later searched his home. They found 16 firearms, including handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Due to his conviction as a felon 24 years prior, it was unlawful for him to possess firearms. He was later convicted of unlawful possession of firearms and obstruction of justice. Brothers pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to the weapons charge and also to obstruction of a federal investigation, receiving a 15-month jail sentence.