Cuban migrants fly into Key West airport on motorized hang glider

The two were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody after landing.

March 25, 2023, 5:37 PM

Two Cuban migrants landed at Key West International Airport on a motorized hang glider Saturday morning, authorities said.

They were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody after landing at approximately 10:30 am. local time, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which has deputies assigned to the airport.

No serious injuries were reported, authorities said.

PHOTO: Two Cuban migrants were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody after landing at the Key West International Airport onboard a powered hang glider, Mar. 25, 2023.
Two Cuban migrants were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody after landing at the Key West International Airport onboard a powered hang glider, Mar. 25, 2023.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
PHOTO: Two Cuban migrants were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody after landing at the Key West International Airport onboard a powered hang glider, Mar. 25, 2023.
Two Cuban migrants were taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody after landing at the Key West International Airport onboard a powered hang glider, Mar. 25, 2023.
Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar

The sheriff's office and Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar shared images of the powered hang glider following the incident.

In response to an inquiry from ABC News, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson referred to Slosar's Twitter account for information on the incident.

"Cuban migrants arrive in all manner, typically in makeshift homemade boats," Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Adam Linhardt told ABC News. "This is not a typical event, but it's not completely unusual."

Chris Ferrara, a Key West local and self-proclaimed aviation buff, told ABC News he was driving his golf cart nearby when he heard the distinct noise of the hang glider engine hovering above him.

"I looked up and just knew that it shouldn't be there," Ferrara said.

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