Airmen discover illegal aliens aboard aircraft Published May 23, 2005 By Keith Pannell 27th Fighter Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) -- Attention to detail and great military-civilian cooperation helped local and state officials nab six illegal aliens here May 16.Air traffic controllers received an emergency call from a civilian pilot who said he was in danger of running out of fuel. The military controllers offered the pilot a choice of landing here or at Clovis Municipal Airport, and the pilot chose to land here.“A civilian aircraft landing unannounced at a military installation is always cause for concern,” said Special Agent Robert LoMurro, of the Office of Special Investigation here. “Everyone reacted exactly as they should.”The plane landed safely, and security forces Airmen responded. After making sure the aircraft was secured and the passengers were all alright, security forces Airmen escorted them to the law enforcement center.There were two adult males, two adult females and two 12 year-old twin sisters, Agent LoMurro said.The flight plan showed the flight originated in Fullerton, Calif., and was to end in Atlanta.Once at the law enforcement center, officials learned that only the pilot spoke some broken English. The other five people were questioned through the pilot. While that was happening, other investigators searched the aircraft several times and found nothing out of the ordinary.However, that was not the case back at the law enforcement center. Security forces investigators said the stories they were getting did not match and called OSI. One of the first things the OSI agents noticed was the Brazilian passports the group had did not look “exactly right.”“The passports looked sketchy, so we called both (Immigration Customs Enforcement) and the Border Patrol to come check these folks out,” Agent LoMurro said.Through continuous questioning and the examination of the documents, the Border Patrol concluded everyone on the plane was an illegal alien. The Border Patrol then took them into custody and brought them to the Border Patrol Detention Facility in Carlsbad, N.M., where the investigation continued.Agent LoMurro said the pilot could face charges from the Federal Aviation Administration, if he is not deported.“This was a textbook example of the great cooperation between Cannon personnel and outside agencies,” he said. “From the controllers offering help, to the security forces securing the aircraft and the Border Patrol and INS agents, everything was flawless.”