Fake SAA pilot flew under radar

ForceFate

ForceFate

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https://mg.co.za/article/2019-03-01-00-fake-saa-pilot-flew-under-radar

SAA discovered that William Chandler’s airline transport pilot licence (ATPL) was a forgery during an investigation into a “reportable incident” on a flight he piloted, the airline said this week.
Although little is known about the incident, the Mail & Guardian has learnt that the incident involving Flight SA206 from OR Tambo International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, occurred in November over Swiss airspace.
It now appears the incident was kept under wraps, which has led to employees complaining that other malfeasance was dealt with publicly.


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That's pretty scary! His background as a flight engineer would have exposed him to all the jargon, and he would have been comfortable pushing all the buttons, without really understanding all the theory work.

SAA used flight engineers on B747 Jumbo Jets, but after they were phased out, there was no job prospect in modern aircraft, except expensive retraining as a commercial pilot.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_engineer

A flight engineer (FE), also sometimes called an air engineer, is the member of an aircraft's flight crew who monitors and operates its complex aircraft systems. In the early era of aviation, the position was sometimes referred to as the "air mechanic". Flight engineers can still be found on some larger fixed-wing airplanes, and helicopters. A similar crew position exists on some spacecraft. In most modern aircraft, their complex systems are both monitored and adjusted by electronic microprocessors and computers, resulting in the elimination of the flight engineer's position.
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reactor_sa said:
Planes just about fly themselves these days. Just need to know where the power and reset buttons are.
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When the auto-pilot crashes, then the human earns their salary...

thechamp said:
Eish, this AA is becoming a big problem.
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Errr, you did look at the article, and see that he has pale skin. Missing emoticon?
 
actually remember seeing this one SAA plane to zurich flying really low over my house,
pulled out flightradar and saw where it was heading, was following a swissair plane.

dont suppose this was this pilot? as the swissair was barely noticeable, and then the entire house shook when the SAA jet following it flew next.
 
Gordon_R said:
When the auto-pilot crashes, then the human earns their salary...



Errr, you did look at the article, and see that he has pale skin. Missing emoticon?
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Have some faith in me will you, I invented the reading the article before commenting thing, I have patents and everything.
 
Gordon_R said:
That's pretty scary! His background as a flight engineer would have exposed him to all the jargon, and he would have been comfortable pushing all the buttons, without really understanding all the theory work.
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Something missing in that article I reckon. The guy must have had a CPL to fly the plane, you need a CPL plus flying time & other requirements to attain your ATPL. He passed his medicals, exams & sim time when required to do so. The CAA does not require him to hold an ATPL, that they only require for the captain (PIC). The ATPL after 5yrs is a SAA (other airlines might have similar requirements but not all) requirement.

Not having an ATPL does not mean you are not capable of piloting a plane, those youngsters in the right seat you see in a 737 cockpit might only have a CPL while getting the hours to attain the ATPL.

The article creates the impression he went straight from the flight engineers chair to the co-pilot chair without any training or license which I find highly improbable.

This guy probably did not make the ATPL requirements in time, went the fraud route and now years later it caught up to him even though his current experience far exceeds the ATPL requirements.




http://www.jsf.co.za/airline-transport-pilot-licence/airline-transport-pilot-licence.asp
In order to operate as pilot in command on large commercial multi crew aircrafts an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) must be completed. This is the highest obtainable License in the aviation industry which enables you to become an Airline Captain.

Requirements for ATPL
i.
You must be 21 years of age.
ii.
Successfully pass 6 online ATPL examinations at CAA.
iii.
You will need to accumulate a minimum of 1500 hrs of flying, out of which 250 must be as pilot in command (PIC), out of which 100 hrs must be night flight time. A minimum of 75 hrs Instrument flying is also required.
This will need a considerable amount of time to acquire and is normally gained during your course of employment as a CPL pilot.
iv.
You must complete a practical flight test on a multi engine aircraft or a jet aircraft with a Grade I Designated Flight Examiner.

You may however write the ATPL examinations before you have 1500 hours and qualify for a “Frozen ATPL” until you meet the hour requirements. A Frozen ATPL is a CPL with the ATPL theory subjects passed.
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An ATPL is the highest certification a pilot can get and allows the holder to act as pilot in command of commercial aircraft. The CPL is the entry-level certification for commercial pilots. The Civil Aviation Authority requires pilots to get their ATPL before they can become captains, but SAA requires its pilots to obtain the licence within five years of their employment.
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I wonder if he had his CPL, as that is not mentioned anywhere. It sounds like it's only a requirement on SAA and not the other carriers.

Feels like this type of information should have been gathered/verified and be included in the article by the journalist. I would also love to see more details of the incident itself.

Maybe someone on this forum is a commercial pilot who could answer some of these questions?

I see @ponder already beat me to some of these questions...
 
gamer16 said:
Flew for more than 20 years, obviously without notable incidents. I wouldn't mind flying with him.
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Until he flies one into terrain and insurance refuses to pay. He probably was just fortunate until the incident over Swiss airspace.
 
D4N_CPT said:
I wonder if he had his CPL, as that is not mentioned anywhere. It sounds like it's only a requirement on SAA and not the other carriers.

Feels like this type of information should have been gathered/verified and be included in the article by the journalist. I would also love to see more details of the incident itself.

Maybe someone on this forum is a commercial pilot who could answer some of these questions?

I see @ponder already beat me to some of these questions...
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I think the article is being sensationalist deliberately leaving out that info. If he did not have a CPL it would have been really bad and they would have mentioned it if they could so instead they leave out that pertinent bit and focus completely on the ATPL part making it sound really bad while it's not bad at all (besides the fraud angle).
 
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