Pilot Gets Prison Time in High-Profile Case

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Former Platinum Jet pilot Francis Vieira, 61, was sentenced to six months in federal prison on Monday for his role in fraudulent activity that led up to the crash of a Challenger 600 charter jet in 2005, which veered off the runway after a failed takeoff attempt from Teterboro Airport.

During court hearings last year, Vieira, who was not piloting the jet at the time of the crash, admitted to falsifying weight-and-balance records on multiple occasions and to flying several commercial charter flights for Platinum Jet, even though the company didn’t have a Part 135 certificate.

Vieira is one of a handful of Platinum Jet employees charged with fraud and other counts related to the Teterboro incident, which occurred when the Challenger overran the runway, entered a major intersection and crashed into the side of a warehouse. While no one was killed, more than a dozen were injured and $30 to 40 million worth of damages was sustained.

Authorities determined that the airplane's center of gravity was too far forward at the time of the incident, and accused Vieira and other Platinum Jet employees of sacrificing weight-and-balance standards to fill up on cheap fuel at airports like Teterboro.

Despite pleas for mercy, U.S. District Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh ordered the maximum allowed sentence for Vieira. After serving six months in prison, six additional months of house arrest and three years of supervised release, Cavanaugh said Vieira would be allowed to fly again. Three other Platinum Jet defendants are to be sentenced in the coming weeks.

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Submitted by femanvate on August 25, 2011.

6mos jail may seem harsh, but considering the fact that $30-40m damage was done, and it was only luck that no one died, he's really getting off scot-free. If people go to jail for decades for selling drugs, slamming 10 tons of aluminum into a populated area in an attempt to save on fuel costs is no less a threat to society. There could have been dozens of fatalities, and you and me would have to pick up the tab in higher premiums.

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Submitted by Contrail727 on August 26, 2011.

Cheap fuel @ Teterboro?? That type of operation has been going on for years! And not just Platinum.......it took an accident such as that one....to get the attention of the Inspectors. It was not so much as being overweight......the forward CG was waaaaay forward. I knew the PIC on that flight......it was a matter of when, not if...totally uncalled for.

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Submitted by SteveCostello on August 26, 2011.

Only 6 months? For what he did? AND he gets to fly again in three years? That isn't even a slap on the wrist! More like a pointy finger and a "No-no! Bad pilot! No-no!"

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Submitted by vasbinde on August 26, 2011.

When a person flies, they take unto themselves a substantial responsibility, much more than the average non-pilot takes during a normal day. When you add in the fact that the plane in question was significantly larger than an average Cessna trainer, the level of needed care and diligence increases even further.

For someone to have such a careless disregard for human life and property is unconscionable: similar to a drunk driver getting into a car on a crowded New Year's Eve night and trying to speed home, hoping that this 20th time they will still end up being lucky.

To add insult to injury, the "pilot" in question was not impaired due to alcohol or other drugs, but WILLFULLY ignored safety standards and violated regulations. This wasn't just a one time, accidental oversight: this was repeated, willful behavior. As such, giving this person the ability to fly again in three years is irresponsible.

Someone who makes the conscious decisions that this person made, to place greed and profit over regard for human life and property, should NEVER have been allowed to fly again. Period.

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Submitted by Loganspace on August 27, 2011.

Gosh it looks like there are a lot of saints and perfect people dropping comments here on this one. Ease up everyone and chill. Not one of you have a 100% record of honesty in life let alone flying. Everyone deserves a second chance.

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Submitted by Boomhauer on August 28, 2011.

Loganspace --

Saints? No. There's a difference between making a mistake, and committing willful negligence and fraud. In my 20 years of professional flying, I have never ONCE falsified a weight-and-balance or flown an illegal charter. With his attitude toward safety, he shouldn't even be driving a taxi cab.

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Submitted by djones0923 on August 31, 2011.

It is highly unlikely that the PIC committed the weight and balance falsification of his own volition. The impetus had to come from higher up, and that person should be punished more severely than the employee. He was probably rewarded within the Company for saving money on fuel. --djones

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Submitted by RHalstead on September 05, 2011.

Normally the FAA would not even give a second chance to a pilot who did this. They are not very tolerant of mistakes and they are downright intolerant of intentional violations. This guy got off easy...but, if you noticed his age (61) he may have had two things going for him. His fighter pilot record and his age. He will not be able to fly commercially much longer any way.

Putting lots of fuel on board is one thing, but putting a large plane way out of CG is down right dangerous and can turn them into very unpredictable beasts.

Back in the "old days" I rode in an over loaded DC-10 coming out of Boston Logan. When the nose came up he over rotated due to the weight. That is not a pleasant feeling when you know what is going on. Back in those days my carry-on was a duffel bag that weighed darn near as much as I did and it was big. It was also not uncommon.