Ex-Air Canada pilot charged for flying 17 years without proper licence
Geoffrey Wall, 59, of Ontario, is alleged to have used forged credentials to operate as a captain after his promotion in 2009.
A licence check that began as a routine review has led to fraud charges against a former Air Canada captain accused of flying commercial aircraft for years without the proper certification.
Geoffrey Wall, 59, of Ontario, is alleged to have used forged credentials to operate as a captain after his promotion in 2009.
Police say the alleged misrepresentation continued for 17 years.
During that period, investigators say Wall flew about 900 domestic and international flights on different Boeing aircraft and earned millions of dollars in salary.
Air Canada has said passenger safety was not put at risk.
The airline explained that Wall was trained and held a valid commercial pilot licence, but did not possess the airline transport pilot licence required under Canadian regulations for a pilot-in-command.
That licence, known as an ATPL, is required for pilots serving as captains and involves passing written examinations.
The issue came to light last year after inconsistencies were detected in Wall’s licence documents during a routine evaluation.
Air Canada said it removed him from duty as soon as the documents were discovered and voluntarily reported the matter to Transport Canada.
Transport Canada, the federal transport regulator, began looking into the matter before Peel Regional Police opened a criminal investigation.
Police said their investigation included a search warrant and an examination of the licence documents, which were later determined to be forged.
Wall, who joined Air Canada in 1998, was charged on June 1 with seven offences, including fraud, forging documents and possession of a counterfeit mark.
Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich of Peel Regional Police said the allegation was similar to a doctor licensed to practise family medicine performing brain surgery.
He said fraud cases can remain undetected for long periods because those involved may become skilled at deception.
Air Canada said all pilots undergo competency training every six months.
The airline also said it had completed an audit of its pilots and found no other cases of non-compliance.
