Pilot Impersonator Arrested at Philly Int'l Airport: FBI

[700UW]

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Pilot-Impersonator-Arrested-at-Philly-Intl-Airport-FBI--199435341.html

A man caught impersonating a pilot was arrested after he boarded a flight scheduled to fly from Philadelphia International Airport to West Palm Beach, Florida.

Philippe Jernnard, 61, of France, boarded the U.S. Airways flight Wednesday night, according to the FBI.

 

[Piedmont1984]

He almost made it - except he stopped to buy a newspaper.

 

[Phoenix]

CASS?

Rumor is another similar CASS event happened sometime ago on another carrier out of the midwest. Seems a paying passenger who was a newly licensed private pilot was asked by the gate agent if he was a pilot (so she could get an extra passenger on board) and he innocently said he was, not knowing she meant an airline pilot authorized to sit on the jump seat. He was amazed and excited to be ushered to the jump seat and would have had an exciting flight except that during taxi to the runway he exhibited too much enthusiasm that made the copilot a little suspicious of his pilot status. "So captain how high are we flying today!? How fast are we flying today!?"

 

[jimntx]

He almost made it - except he stopped to buy a newspaper.

ROTFLMAO!

 

[nevergiveup]

Was it Move2!

 

[end_of_alpa]

He almost made it - except he stopped to buy a newspaper.

Savoir Faire is EVERYWHERE!! Ah, mon deux. C'est la vie.....

 

[snapthis]

The gate agent told authorities that Jernnard had asked if there was any room in first class and was told "no." According to the arrest report, Jernnard became irate after being told "no" and told her that he hated Americans and began to argue with her. When the gate agent finished boarding the flight and went to close the plane's doors for takeoff, the arrest report states that she saw Jernnard sitting in the jump seat behind the captain's seat and his carry-on bag was stowed in the cockpit. “She just assumes he takes his seat in coach and when she goes in to inform co-captain of the number of passengers on the flight that’s when she kind of recognizes he’s out of place,” said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker.

French guy with an attitude, I know who it is:

http://youtu.be/lvGBKFrC7P8

 

[Walmartgreeter]

Hopefully this will turn out to be some idiot using a pilot uniform to get upgraded.

But the scary thing is, a few weeks from now he could legally have a knife on his person.

Greeter

 

[nycbusdriver]

He almost made it - except he stopped to buy a newspaper.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

I imagine that the flight crew would have wanted to see the paperwork before the door was closed. Still, kudos to the gate agent.

 

[nycbusdriver]

I imagine that the flight crew would have wanted to see the paperwork before the door was closed. Still, kudos to the gate agent.

Typically, there is likely some embellishment of the story. My concerns are: Why was the jumpseat even deployed so early in the process? (That is usually the last thing to happen before pushback.) And: Why would the captain even entertain the notion of allowing a cockpit jumpseat rider from a non-U.S. airline? Even if this guy had indeed been a 747 captain for Air France, there is no way to locally authorize his riding in the cockpit. It's illegal (since foreign pilots can never be in the CASS database) unless specifically approved in writing by the Vice President of Operations. This approval would only be given for reasons of technical- or safety-related support, i.e. if the foreign pilot was an expert doing specific research condoned by the company and the FAA.

 

[Onestep2flt]

Typically, there is likely some embellishment of the story. My concerns are: Why was the jumpseat even deployed so early in the process? (That is usually the last thing to happen before pushback.) And: Why would the captain even entertain the notion of allowing a cockpit jumpseat rider from a non-U.S. airline? Even if this guy had indeed been a 747 captain for Air France, there is no way to locally authorize his riding in the cockpit. It's illegal (since foreign pilots can never be in the CASS database) unless specifically approved in writing by the Vice President of Operations. This approval would only be given for reasons of technical- or safety-related support, i.e. if the foreign pilot was an expert doing specific research condoned by the company and the FAA.

All very important points. However, we all know how the news media is always right! I would say we only have pieces and parts of the real story. I think unless we were in the cockpit it is hard to say for sure what took place. I sure would not want to condemn any employee before all the missing pieces of the puzzle are before us. Talk from anyone that was not there is just that.

Having said that it is very difficult to fathom how an angry non US citizen possibly made it to the jumpseat. I suppose someone in a pilot uniform could stop up to say hi to the pilots as a courtesy. Seems like an innocent enough thing. Actually, the story is changing as I type. Sounds like that might be what indeed happened. The police were just quoted as saying that he stopped at the cockpit and chatted it up with the First Officer. When the Captain arrived back to the cockpit that is when he was trying to talk himself onto the jumpseat. Sounds like he was told no and once again became angry. So, from this ever changing news story it sounds like the crew did what they were suppose to do. Hope we will know soon enough the whole story.

 

[jimntx]

Just the fact that the goofball would start arguments with both the gate agent and the cockpit crew would indicate that he did not have all his chairs pulled up to the table. No doubt, he'll get off on a mental insufficiency defense.

 

[cynic]

Just the fact that the goofball would start arguments with both the gate agent and the cockpit crew would indicate that he did not have all his chairs pulled up to the table. No doubt, he'll get off on a mental insufficiency defense.

So what does that say about some of the people in the pilot topics here?