A Pilot Resigned After Flying Over 20 Years with A Fake License!
Hundreds of thousands of passengers place their lives in the hands of a pilot in the cockpit every single day as they fly. However, passengers who flew with the pilot William Chandler simply didn’t know the risks they were under. The commercial pilot Chandler flew for 20 years without a valid license to fly. It was upon his resignation after flying for more than 20 years with a phony license that the shocking truth came out.
How could a person fly commercial flights to such an extent without proper certification? What does it say about the confidence we instill in airliners and authorities? This story of a pilot uncovers some blunt lapses in the system laid down for the sky’s safety. Let’s find out how such massive fraud got away for so many years.
Unveiling the Deception: A Fake License
It was only during a routine internal audit conducted by South African Airways that the truth finally came to light. Audits of this kind are part of normal procedures. That is to ensure the compliance of all the safety regulations. During the audit, the auditors drew interest in discrepancies in pilot William Chandler’s records. What had initially seemed insignificant made the auditors delve deeper. That is when they discovered that Chandler had flown for more than 20 years with a forged Airline Transport Pilot License.
William Chandler had been with SAA since the early 1990s. According to newspapers the Mail & Guardian (M&G) in South Africa, Chandler worked as a flight engineer at South African Airways before starting his career as a pilot in 1994. He has worked his way up from first officer to senior captain.
Chandler had only a Commercial Pilot License, CPL, but forged the papers to make it appear that he had the ATPL required for long-haul international flights. For an ATPL, it is a must for pilots to pass multiple technical and medical exams. They should also complete at least 1,500 hours of flying time. However, Chandler had managed to avoid detection by exploiting gaps in the verification processes of the airline.
Chandler’s credibility drew attention following a “reportable incident” during a flight from South Africa to Germany. Immediately after an audit, SAA discovered William Chandler’s paperwork was forged. It led to his resignation. The incident of his resignation sent shockwaves through the airline in trying to determine how he was able to successfully deceive the system.
“What seems to have happened here is that the pilot would have taken what we have issued to them… and would have changed those documents to give an impression that they are in possession of an ATPL.”
said Phindiwe Gwembu, an SACAA spokesperson.
Navigating a Career With a Fake License
He secured the employment by first using fake credentials. This person forged a license to fly an aircraft and a medical certificate that he presented during hiring. He also used system loopholes to evade credible background checks. The first deception was the stepping stone to an over-20-year flying career with a fake license.
All the license holders are required to “refresh” their credentials every year. It involves a series of tests involving flight simulations and physical exams. The certificates after each are awarded by the country’s civil aviation authority (SACAA). However, he managed to surpass them with the help of a safety officer at SAA. The safety officer also got suspended for assisting in covering up the forgery.
“Necessary steps will be taken to recover the money unduly paid to him” including salary, overtime and allowances.”
Tlali Tlali, a spokesperson for SAA.
Sources found out that the plane he had control of, “made some strange turns” after encountering turbulence over the Swiss Alps.
During his career, he kept an immaculate flying record. He had flown hundreds of flights with nothing going wrong. Colleagues admired him because he was a competent and professional fellow. Passengers flew their lives at his mercy, never knowing he was flying on fraudulent qualifications. The fact that he was able to carry out the functions of a pilot allowed him to conceal that he wasn’t properly authorized.
The airline soon filed criminal charges and took back “millions of rand” from Chandler including his salary, overtime, and other allowances.
“When faced with reportable incidents such as this one, the airline undertakes investigations to gather relevant details, establish facts and make determination on what course of action must be embarked on, whether remedial, disciplinary or otherwise. This process forms part of our standard operating procedures.”
said SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali.
System Failures and Oversight Gaps
This is a case that shows critical failures in the oversight mechanisms of aviation. Verification processes at the time of hiring by the airline did not catch the fake credentials. The regulatory authorities also missed a number of chances to come up with such deception.
Moving into more stringent methods of verification would ensure that such incidences do not happen in the future. The airline acknowledges the weaknesses in its processes. It now puts in place a more stringent background verification process and periodic audits on pilot credentials. Policies and regulations are being reviewed by authorities to block the loopholes through which the deception persists.
Implications for Passenger Safety
Every time passengers get on a plane, they are putting a huge amount of trust in the pilot and airline. Finding out that some person can fly for over 20 years on a fake license really shakes that foundational trust. Fortunately, no incident or accident was reported while flying under his command. However, the potential risk of such incidents due to the flying of commercial planes by an unlicensed pilot was huge.
The airline is staring now at serious legal and reputational consequences. Passengers want answers and assurances that such a breach will not occur again. The airline lost confidence and bookings are dropping rapidly. Restoring trust will require transparent actions, accountability, and enhanced measures for safety.
Conclusion
It was one of those wake-up stories-a pilot who finally resigned after having flown more than 20 years on a fake license, a sign of how weak the systems are that are in place to protect the passengers and keep the skies safe. Going forward, much better oversight is needed by airlines and regulatory authorities with verification.
After all, our safety is literally in the hands of the integrity and competence of those who operate and regulate flights. It is only through learning from this incident that aviation can work to restore trust in ways to ensure this kind of breach of trust will never happen. All stakeholders must proactively take steps to safeguard the skies for everyone.
Also read,
