Pilot arrested no license

While Chandler claimed to have the ATPL that would have permitted him to fly large passenger aircrafts, he only had a CP, which allowed him to fly smaller aircrafts and did not require as much training. Chandler was an employee with SAA from till he was forced to resign. However, the airline did not reveal how long Chandler flew without the needed license nor did it reveal the number of passengers or aircraft he had flown.

Chandler reportedly opted not to be promoted to the rank of captain in as it would have required him to submit his ATPL certification. A report by Mail and Guardian, a South African daily , quoted sources as saying that this refusal should have rung bells since the pilots who joined the airlines with Chandler had become captains by while he still remained a senior first officer SFO. According to Ugandan newspaper Daily Monitor , Chandler was the co-pilot of the Germany bound flight and had to perform a recovery maneuver when it encountered turbulence.

The crew of the plane was grounded and evaluated in accordance with the safety procedures, which was when the fraud was discovered. The airline wants Chandler to pay back all the money he earned while working with it, including the perks. It remains unclear when Chandler forged his license, but the airline's policy requires pilots to obtain it within five years of employment.

Chandler had a commercial pilot's license, which allows pilots to operate commercial flights — but not long, international flights. Tlali Tlali, a company spokesperson, said South African Airways was opening a criminal case of fraud against Chandler. He said, "necessary steps will be taken to recover the money unduly paid to him. Chandler was arrested and charged with fraud in March , the Mail and Guardian reported.

His second appearance in front of a court was expected on May 14 of that year. Fact check: Firefighting helicopters in California can use swimming pool water to put out fires. In , a Swedish pilot was arrested in the Netherlands as he sat in the cockpit ready to fly a Boeing aircraft with passengers to Turkey, the Seattle Times reported. The pilot was suspected of flying with a forged license for more than a decade.

Based on our research, we rate TRUE the claim that a pilot resigned after flying planes without a license for 20 years. The pilot's forged documents were discovered after an investigation in Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Fact check: Pilot arrested in after flying internationally without a license for 20 years.

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