Boater Arrested For Interfering With Seaplane

A boater repeatedly swerved in front of a floatplane on Bantam Lake, near Hartford, Conn., earlier this month, apparently trying to prevent it from taking off because he thought the airplane shouldn’t be operating on the lake, the Hartford Courant reported this week. The boater was arrested on Sunday. The floatplane pilot had been donating rides to inner-city campers for many years, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, whose officers made the arrest. On Aug. 4, the pilot was trying to take off with two girls on board, when the boat pulled in front of the airplane and stopped, forcing the pilot to abort, state officials said. It happened a second time, and the pilot returned to the dock and dropped off the girls. He then tried to take off a third time, and avoided the boat although it tried again to cut off the departure. Officials said there is no prohibition against seaplane operations on the lake.