Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 12, 2002
Cuban Plane Forced to Land in Florida, US
A U.S. Customs Service aircraft escorted the Soviet-era biplane into Key West International Airport, Florida, U.S. about 10:45 a.m. EST Monday, Key West police spokeswoman Cynthia Edwards said. Seven adults and one child were aboard the aircraft, said FBI Special Agent Judy Orihuela.
A U.S. Customs Service aircraft escorted the Soviet-era biplane into Key West International Airport, Florida, U.S. about 10:45 a.m. EST Monday, Key West police spokeswoman Cynthia Edwards said. Seven adults and one child were aboard the aircraft, said FBI Special Agent Judy Orihuela.
The Cubans will be placed in Immigration and Naturalization Service custody after questioning by FBI agents. They will be taken to Miami's Krome Detention Center for processing under the Cuban Adjustment Act, which typically allows Cubans who reach U.S. territory to be released and to receive permanent residency after one year.
The INS described the man at the aircraft's controls as a professional pilot. The aircraft, an Antonov An-2, is commonly used as a commuter plane and crop-duster in Cuba.
In September 2000, pilot Angel Lenin Iglesias Hernandez ditched an Antonov An-2 in the Gulf of Mexico after getting lost. Nine of the 10 people on board were rescued, while one drowned.