Virginia mall evacuated as plane circles skies

Authorities asked business owners to evacuate a shopping center near Smith Mountain Lake as a small plane taken from a nearby airport circled the area.

Franklin County Administrator Rick Huff said the single-engine Cessna 172 took off from Roanoke Regional Airport about 11 a.m. Monday. The pilot was not authorized to take the plane, he said, "and has given some indication that he intends to commit suicide in the plane."

Huff said law enforcement officials have been in contact with the pilot and are keeping the plane in sight. Huff said the plane circled an area that included the lake and nearby counties.