The pilot of one of the JetRangers stated that he had thought that Preston intended to commit suicide by crashing into the White House, but Preston maintained that he only wanted to draw attention to the perceived unfairness of his situation and show his skill as a pilot.[11][12] He pled guilty to "wrongful appropriation and breach of the peace"[13] and was sentenced to one year in prison and fined $2,400 (equivalent to $12,442 in 2019).[4][10][12] The duration of his court-martial was given to him as time served; this meant he had to serve a further six months in prison.[11] He instead served two months at Fort Riley, Kansas, before being granted a general discharge from the Army for unsuitability.[14]