A pilot with over 20 years of experience at South African Airways (SAA) has quit after it was found out that he had a fake license. This discovery happened following an incident on a flight from South Africa to Germany.
SAA has taken legal action against the pilot and is looking for compensation. They have also suspended a safety officer for allegedly trying to cover up the forgery. The pilot had originally worked as a flight engineer at SAA before becoming a pilot in 1994.
He held the position of Senior First Officer but was in charge of a plane during a turbulent incident over the Swiss Alps. Later, it was revealed that he only had a commercial pilot’s license, not the airline transport pilot license (ATPL) needed for long-distance international flights.
This case has raised concerns about the process and oversight of pilot licensing in South Africa’s civil aviation authority.
