By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA – An Oceanside man who was a passenger in a small aircraft that made an emergency landing on State Route 76 in Oceanside on September 26, appeared in federal court Tuesday to face drug-related charges connected to the incident.
According to a complaint, after the plane landed safely, 36-year-old Troy Othneil Smith attempted to hide a package of cocaine from Oceanside police officers who responded to the emergency landing that occurred around 1:39 a.m.
Smith was under investigation by the DEA and the U.S. Postal Service before the emergency landing. In that ongoing probe, he is suspected of shipping narcotics from Oceanside across the United States through the U.S. Postal Service, the complaint stated.
Flight records indicate the private plane departed from a San Diego airport at 10:49 a.m. on September 25 and landed around 6:48 p.m. in Mesa, Arizona. At 11:08 p.m. on September 25, the airplane departed Mesa and headed westward toward California. At approximately 1:28 a.m., the airplane flew past Carlsbad over the Pacific Ocean and made a U-turn heading back toward Oceanside. At approximately 1:39 a.m., the airplane made an emergency landing on State Route 76.
Based upon information gathered during the investigation, law enforcement learned that the pilot and passenger, later identified as Smith, began experiencing mechanical issues with the airplane during the flight as it arrived in San Diego County airspace. The pilot and passenger were planning an ocean landing because the airplane seemed to shut off and was malfunctioning. They were able to turn the airplane around over the ocean as the engine began working again. After a short time, the engine shut off a second time, which resulted in the pilot landing the plane on the highway.
The Oceanside Police Department responded to the scene and found the pilot and passenger near the airplane. The passenger identified himself to police officers as Smith. One of the officers on the scene noticed Smith was wearing a backpack and was pacing near the plane. After ordering Smith to stop going back to the airplane, the officer turned his attention away from Smith. When he heard the unzipping of a backpack, the officer immediately turned his attention back toward Smith, who was near the guardrail on the highway. The officer observed Smith reach into the backpack, take something out, and place it in the bushes. The officer ordered Smith to step away from the guardrail, while another officer went over to the guardrail and found a heat-sealed, air-tight package resting on the ground among the bushes. The contents of the package tested positive for cocaine. Smith was arrested.
