Safety
Papua New Guinea court convicts crew for illegal landing
A court in Papua New Guinea (PNG) convicted Australian pilots Andrew Reid and Peter McGee of making an illegal landing in a Cessna Citation II at the disus

A court in Papua New Guinea (PNG) convicted Australian pilots Andrew Reid and Peter McGee of making an illegal landing in a Cessna Citation II at the disused Kieta airstrip, near Aropa on the island of Bougainville. The court imposed fines of more than $100,000, but the pilots avoided the 12-month jail terms the nation’s civil aviation authority (CAA) demanded.

In a sentence issued late last year, the Waigini District Court also suspended McGee’s PNG commercial pilot license for 12 months. Both pilots are appealing the verdict, which found them guilty of “operating an aircraft in a careless and dangerous manner.” The jet is impounded at Jackson’s International Airport in the PNG capital Port Moresby.