(UTV|COLOMBO) – A pilot has resigned from South African Airways after flying for more than 20 years with a fake licence.
SAA said it discovered William Chandler’s paperwork was forged after a “reportable incident” during a flight from South Africa to Germany.
The airline has filed criminal charges and is seeking “millions of rand” from Chandler.
A safety officer at SAA has also been suspended for allegedly trying to cover up the forgery. South African newspaper the Mail & Guardian reported that Chandler worked as a flight engineer at the state-owned SAA before getting a job as a pilot in 1994.
He was a Senior First Officer, a role where he was a monitoring pilot but did not command any aircraft.
SAA said in a statement that, after investigating the incident, it found Chandler had only a commercial pilot’s licence. He later resigned.
