Air Canada Pilot Flew Hundreds of Flights for 17 Years Without the Right License, Authorities Say

It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood thriller — but Canadian authorities say it really happened.

A former Air Canada pilot was arrested on Monday, June 8 after allegedly flying hundreds of commercial flights for roughly 17 years without holding the proper license required to do so, according to an ABC News report, published Tuesday, June 9.

Geoffrey Wall, 59, of Barrie, Ontario, is accused of carrying out what Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich described as a fraud that “read like a movie script,” per the outlet.

Wall allegedly began flying with a fraudulent airline transport pilot license in 2009, when he was promoted to captain — the credential required to fly commercial aircraft in that role, according to the report. Authorities likened the alleged deception to a doctor licensed to practice family medicine walking into a hospital to perform brain surgery.

“Licensing requirements exist for a reason. They exist to keep people safe,” Milinovich said, per the outlet.

According to the article, the arrest stemmed from a fraud investigation dubbed “Project Icarus,” which launched after a random certification check at Pearson International Airport in Toronto turned up “anomalies.” Wall is charged with fraud, public mischief and other offenses. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court later this month, per the report.

Air Canada confirmed Wall is no longer employed by the airline and said in a statement that it “takes this matter with utmost seriousness.”

The airline maintained that passenger safety was not at risk, pointing to mandatory pilot training every six months and annual flight checks with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot. “However, appropriate licensing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multi-layered approach to safety,” the airline said, per the outlet.

Wall has not yet entered a plea.