Man arrested after allegedly stealing small plane, crashing into hangar at Van Nuys Airport

VAN NUYS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A man was taken into custody Thursday morning after a small plane that was stolen from a flight school slammed into an exterior wall of a hangar at Van Nuys Airport, authorities said.

The white Cessna 172, which never got airborne, was apparently taxiing on the tarmac when the collision occurred around 5 a.m. Whether anyone was seriously injured was unclear.

Video from AIR7 showed a hole in the single-story hangar's wall where it was struck by the plane's nose. The owner of the flight school, L.A. Flight Academy, said the aircraft's nose and wing were damaged in the incident.

Los Angeles Airport Police told Eyewitness News that the suspect -- identified as 37-year-old Ceffareno Michael Logan -- trespassed onto airport property and gained access to the aircraft.

"LAXPD immediately responded and took subject into custody," read a statement provided to ABC7.

Logan appeared to have gained entry to the L.A. Flight Academy by breaking the front door.

"The gentleman broke in and stole one of the planes, started the engine, was about to taxi out, and the wing hit one of the hangars and the plane just flipped and went inside a neighbor's hangar," said Anthony Nercessian, who runs L.A. Flight Academy.

When asked how Logan was able to start the plane without a key, Nercessian explained that the aircraft doesn't necessarily require a specific key to start.

Logan was arrested and booked for burglary and theft of an aircraft. His bail was set at $150,000.

Both the FBI and LAXPD are investigating.

Van Nuys Airport is a general aviation facility operated by Los Angeles World Airports.