Charter & Fractional
NATA Brief Seeks Clear Pilot Role for Prohibited Items
Case revolves around preventing transportation of beer to a ‘dry’ village in Alaska
KenAir owner and pilot Kenneth Jouppi
KenAir owner and pilot Kenneth Jouppi is fighting an Alaska Supreme Court decision that upheld confiscation of his Cessna 206 because a passenger tried to bring beer to a "dry" village. © Institute for Justice

The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the U.S. Supreme Court for a case involving an Alaska charter pilot whose planned flight in 2012 was halted when a state trooper searched his airplane and found beer in the luggage. Oral arguments are scheduled for December 1, with a decision expected before the court’s current term ends.

That beer is a prohibited item in the destination village of Beaver, and the trooper claimed that charter pilot Kenneth Jouppi, who owned the Cessna 206, knew there was beer on board. He was eventually convicted of a misdemeanor and sentenced to a $1,500 fine and three days in jail. The state added to his punishment by attempting to confiscate the 206. 

Loading…