The plane pilot who flew without a license for 17 years

The plane pilot who flew without a license for 17 years
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A former Air Canada pilot is being accused of having transported thousands of passengers on commercial flights without the proper license for 17 years, according to Canadian authorities.
Ontario provincial police said the pilot, 59-year-old Geoffrey Wall, had been flying under false credentials since being promoted to captain in 2009. He now faces multiple fraud-related charges.
Air Canada said the pilot was immediately relieved of his duties as soon as the false documents were discovered last year.
"The company voluntarily reported the case to Transport Canada," the airline said.
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The company said passenger safety was never at risk, noting that all pilots undergo competency training every six months.
Nick Milinovich of the Peel Regional Police said Wall had been flying with Air Canada for 27 years, starting his career in 1998.
The pilot had been falsifying his credentials since 2009, when he was promoted to the position of captain, according to police.
For this role, pilots are required to hold an airline transport pilot's license (ATPL), obtained in part by passing a series of written exams.
"This would be very similar to a doctor who is licensed to practice family medicine but is performing brain surgeries in his office," Milinovich said.
Over the past 17 years, police said Wall has flown several types of Boeing aircraft and flown a total of 900 domestic and international flights, earning millions of dollars in wages - all, allegedly, without the credentials.
Authorities said the alleged fraud was discovered last year during a routine assessment, when inconsistencies were identified in the accused pilot's license documentation - prompting an investigation by Transport Canada, Canada's federal department of transport.
Peel Regional Police at the time began a criminal investigation into Wall, which included a search warrant and an analysis of the license, which police confirmed was forged.
Wall was charged on June 1 with seven crimes, including fraud, forgery of documents and possession of a counterfeit tag.
Air Canada said the pilot was fully trained with a valid commercial pilot's license, but did not have the ATPL required to operate as a captain under Canadian regulations.
In a statement, the airline added that it "treats this matter with the utmost seriousness" and said it had completed an audit of its pilots and found no other instances of noncompliance.
Asked why Wall's alleged fraud had gone undetected for years, Milinovich noted that Offenders can become "very skilled" at "devices."
"It is not uncommon for fraud to continue for years and years," he said. "Eventually she gets discovered, and that's when we get involved."
Wall is scheduled to appear in court on June 29.

Source: G1