November 20
Missing Pilot Linked to NASA Theft
HOUSTON (AP) _ A man who apparently jumped to his
death from a small plane
at 9,000 feet was under investigation on
suspicion of stealing NASA
technology, authorities say.
Officials continued to search a 20-square-mile
area for Russell Edward
Filler's body Tuesday after he went out the door
of the single-engine plane
Sunday.
Waller County Sheriff's Department Lt. John
Kremmer said the plunge appeared
to be intentional. He said Filler apparently had
no parachute.
Federal authorities last week had contacted
Filler, a 47-year-old engineer
for a NASA space station contractor, after they
traced a NASA-owned laptop
computer to his home. The computer, which did not
contain sensitive data,
disappeared Oct. 25.
Filler told authorities he bought the computer
for $500 through an ad posted
in a grocery store, said Harris County Sheriff's
Capt. Robert Van Pelt. A
deputy was completing a report to charge Filler
with theft, Van Pelt said.
On Sunday, Filler went to Hooks Airport in
Spring, a Houston suburb, saying
he needed more hours to renew his pilot's
license. When the flight
instructor looked away, Filler apparently opened
the cockpit door and
unfastened his seat belt, Waller County Sheriff
Randy Smith said. The
instructor saw Filler's feet going out the door.
"We're trying to reconstruct the life of the
individual the last few days to
see what was going on in his world," Kremmer
said.
Filler had worked for United Space Alliance since
1996 in a part of the
company that does ground testing for the
international space station.
A company spokesman had no comment.
|
