A man has been fined for serious breaches of aviation safety rules — including flying without a pilot licence, flying an aircraft without a certificate of airworthiness, and operating in a manner that caused unnecessary danger last year.
The defendant was on his own piloting the amateur-built Jodel D.11 aircraft when it took off from Feilding Aerodrome on 23 March 2024 and crash landed in a field approximately 1km south of the Marton township.
He had been rebuilding the aircraft since it was involved in an earlier crash and it was damaged beyond repair. The unqualified aviator sustained serious injuries.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the man was sentenced in the Marton District Court on July 16 and fined $14,475.
The investigation found the defendant had operated the aircraft on several occasions despite not holding a pilot licence, and while the aircraft was not certified as airworthy.
Civil Aviation Authority deputy chief executive Dean Winter said the case was a “stark reminder that aviation safety rules exist for a reason”.
“The ‘pilot’ made a series of reckless choices that could have had significant consequences for other people, in addition to the serious injuries he suffered,” he said.
The court considered the seriousness of the offending and the potential for harm when imposing the fine, noting the danger the public under the aircraft flightpath, emergency services personnel attending the crash site, and other airspace users – in addition to the pilot himself.
“Flying without proper qualifications or approvals is not just a paperwork issue — it’s a safety issue,” Winter said.
“Proper training, aircraft maintenance, licensing and certification are fundamental to ensuring safe skies. When individuals choose to ignore those responsibilities, they put lives at risk, as the defendant did in this case when he flew across State Highways, numerous farms and occupied houses.”
Winter said the Civil Aviation Authority would continue to investigate and take action appropriate against serious breaches of aviation law where safety was compromised.
