Authorities: Pilot of Aircraft That Crashed in Shell Knob Arrested on Suspicion of Intoxication

The man piloting an aircraft that crashed near Shell Knob earlier this week may have been intoxicated.

According to an arrest report by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 44-year-old James Porter of Wichita, Kansas was taken into custody after the crash on Tuesday in which he and a passenger were injured. The crash took place just after the plan had taken off from an airstrip northeast of Shell Knob. 

The report indicates that Porter was in custody on a 24-hour investigative hold in the Stone County Jail with the Branson Tri-Lakes News reporting that Porter had been released and formal charges have yet to be filed.