Air Canada pilot arrested for flying without proper license
An Air Canada pilot was arrested Monday after an investigation found he had allegedly been flying hundreds of flights over at least 17 years without a valid license.
Canadian police described Geoffrey Wall’s alleged scheme as something that “read like a movie script.” Peel Regional Police said that since 2009, when Wall was promoted to captain, he had been flying with a fraudulent airline transport pilot license, the credential required to serve as a commercial airline captain.
Authorities compared him to a doctor licensed for family medicine performing brain surgery, saying, “Licensing requirements exist for a reason. They exist to keep people safe,” Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said.
The case is part of a fraud investigation called Project Icarus, which began after a routine certification check at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year uncovered “anomalies,” investigators said.
Wall, 59, of Barrie, Ontario, is no longer employed by Air Canada, the airline said Monday night. Air Canada said it “takes this matter with utmost seriousness” and stressed that safety was not compromised because pilots undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months. However, it added that proper licensing is an essential part of aviation safety.
Wall is charged with fraud, public mischief, and other offenses. He was released on his own recognizance and is scheduled to return to court later this month.
