Student Pilot Causes Security Breach At Orlando Melbourne International Airport

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MELBOURNE (CNN) - A student pilot who hopped a fence early Thursday morning at Orlando Melbourne International Airport and boarded a passenger jet that was undergoing maintenance was taken into custody.

The 22-year-old was spotted around 2 a.m. boarding a vacant American Airlines Airbus A321 in the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Center, said airport spokeswoman Lori Booker.

Two technicians doing work inside the plane confronted him and tackled him. One called police while the other subdued him. He was arrested within minutes.

He's been charged with criminal attempt to steal an airplane. Booker said she he's also been charged with a visa violation and criminal trespassing. His name hasn't been released.

The student pilot has a Florida driver's license, and a sticker on his car indicates he has lived in the area, Booker said.

Booker said the man was born in Trinidad and entered the United States through Canada. She says he has a Florida driver's license but didn't know what school he attended.

The incident is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. They're trying to determine a motive.

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