Catching a buzz. Not the good kind.

[Heliian]

https://www.danspapers.com/2021/04/pilo ... content=V1

The FAA hasn't even caught up with the pilot yet but I don't think his excuses will work with them either.

7 years in jail is a little excessive but a nice fine and maybe some community service would probably deter the pilot from doing anything that dumb again.

[digits_]

Why would they go for reckless endangerment? I'm sure they have minimum altitudes to adhere to in that area, why not charge him with busting those minimum altitudes, as that is exactly what he did?

[photofly]

Why would they go for reckless endangerment? I'm sure they have minimum altitudes to adhere to in that area, why not charge him with busting those minimum altitudes, as that is exactly what he did?

Because they can't publicly threaten him with up to seven years in prison merely for busting a minimum altitude.

Similarly, regardless of anything written in the CARs or Aeronautics Act, the Criminal Code of Canada includes 320.13:

320.13 (1) Everyone commits an offence who operates a conveyance in a manner that, having regard to all of the circumstances, is dangerous to the public.

which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Proving it, to a criminal level of proof, could be a challenge though.

[digits_]

Why would they go for reckless endangerment? I'm sure they have minimum altitudes to adhere to in that area, why not charge him with busting those minimum altitudes, as that is exactly what he did?

Because they can't publicly threaten him with up to seven years in prison merely for busting a minimum altitude.

You're probably right... Someone must be trying to establish dominance by going after the Reckless Pilot.

[photofly]

The offence in Canada used to be "dangerous operation of an aircraft" - that has since 2018 been rolled into a new offence of "dangerous operation of a conveyance", and the maximum penalty has been doubled to 10 years.

Is anyone aware of any convictions for "dangerous operation" involving an aircraft? There was a guy who did some low flying over North York a few years ago, but I doubt that very much happened to him.

EDIT: here it is. Doesn't time fly?
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=91284

[“”Bob””]

The irony is probably one of the complaints came from Karen on her cell phone who saw the plane out of the corner of her eye as she was applying her mascara going 50 MPH through a school zone in her Escalade.

[valleyboy]

was applying her mascara going 50 MPH through a school zone in her Escalade.

good one

coming from the era of "buzz jobs" this is pretty mild stuff, hitting and killing someone with a float, now that is where the heavy handed reaction from the law is in order but just a buzz job with lowest altitude of 100 ft is for the air regs to handle.

There is more to this than we know. The guy was pissed at something or covid brain. One just does not logically buzz a high population area and hang around doing it so you get caught unless you have a bee in your ass over something.

[Heliian]

The irony is probably one of the complaints came from Karen on her cell phone who saw the plane out of the corner of her eye as she was applying her mascara going 50 MPH through a school zone in her Escalade.

The police received multiple 911 calls about the aircraft making low passes over the town @100ft and over the water @25ft at which point they thought it was crashing.

This isn't a noise complaint, this guy was obviously well out of bounds.

[Heliian]

Why would they go for reckless endangerment? I'm sure they have minimum altitudes to adhere to in that area, why not charge him with busting those minimum altitudes, as that is exactly what he did?

Well, it was the police that charged him, the FAA hasn't caught up yet. They'll be the ones to levy those charges.

[PostmasterGeneral]

Yeah, since it's technically a federal offense, do the local police really have jurisdiction in the sky?

[“”Bob””]

The irony is probably one of the complaints came from Karen on her cell phone who saw the plane out of the corner of her eye as she was applying her mascara going 50 MPH through a school zone in her Escalade.

The police received multiple 911 calls about the aircraft making low passes over the town @100ft and over the water @25ft at which point they thought it was crashing.

This isn't a noise complaint, this guy was obviously well out of bounds.

Oh I’m sure.

My point is that at least one of those people is more of a danger to the general public than this pilot was.

[Heliian]

Yeah, since it's technically a federal offense, do the local police really have jurisdiction in the sky?

At this point it doesn't matter if it's a boat, car, scooter, plane, wheelchair. However, they may drop the charges if the FAA decides to get heavy handed too.

[J31]

"The pilot told The Sag Harbor Express, which first reported the incident, that it was a “bad decision” and blamed faulty equipment for not knowing how low he was flying."

Ya right!