Savannah News: An Arkansas man landed his two-seat plane on a Georgia beach for a little fun and sun. Instead, the amateur pilot was arrested on charges of reckless conduct and operating a motorized craft on the beach on Tybee Island. Tybee Island police Lt. Jonathan Hagan told the Savannah Morning News that the plane's two occupants climbed out to take a stroll on the beach and there was nothing wrong with the single-engine aircraft. He says the pilot — 36-year-old Mark Jensen — was arrested. The passenger was Jensen's mother; she was not arrested. Hagan says the action was unacceptable and endangered other beachgoers.
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What was the pilot thinking? My research thus far has not yielded any Federal Aviation Regulation violation (although I have only begun my search) Beside any state laws that may have been violated, I'm sure a case could be made against the pilot under FAR § 91.13 Careless or reckless operation in that "No person may operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another".
The questions are did the pilot operate the aircraft recklessly and who determines if the pilot operated the aircraft recklessly? I don't have the answers. But I'm sure the pilot will have the option to speek to a judge about the ordeal. And I'm sure the FAA will inquire about his actions as well.
I would question the pilot's decission making when he decided to land his airplane on the beach. I'm sure he made sure there were no obsticles, such as drift wood and people, that would be in the way. But we are not in the "back woods" or "bush flying". I believe the pilot's decision to land was not a wise decision. This is another example of bad press to general aviation that is not needed.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
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