A 23-year-old man from Stokesdale, North Carolina, identified as Logan Timothy James, has died after stealing a plane from a flight school in the Dallas area and crashing it in a rural area of Northeast Texas. The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, approximately nine miles northeast of Telephone, Texas, near the Red River in Fannin County. According to a news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), a preliminary investigation reveals that a Cessna 172 was stolen from ATP Flight School in Addison. James was the only person on board the aircraft, and no other injuries were reported.

The stolen plane flew more than 80 miles northeast toward Paris, Texas, before the crash occurred near the Texas-Oklahoma border. The ATP Flight School is located at Addison Airport, about 15 miles north of Dallas. The plane departed from the airport at 6:53 p.m. on Wednesday, according to information obtained from Addison Airport. It crashed at approximately 8:26 p.m. local time in a field northeast of Telephone, Texas.

It remains unclear whether James radioed for help or declared an emergency before the crash. However, an air traffic control recording from earlier in the flight captured a conversation about his plans. "About right now, you'll probably realize that I'm not going to listen to y'all's instructions, and I'm just heading to East Texas," James stated, according to the ATC recordings obtained by NBC News. He also mentioned his intention to pull the communication circuit breakers.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now leading the investigation into the crash, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Authorities are working to determine the exact cause of the incident and gather more information about the circumstances leading up to the theft and subsequent crash.

This tragic event highlights the potential dangers associated with unauthorized access to aircraft and the importance of maintaining strict security measures at flight schools and airports. The stolen plane incident raises concerns about the vulnerabilities in aviation security systems and the need for enhanced measures to prevent such incidents in the future.