December 23, 2024 05:55 AM

French Man Who Impersonated a Pilot on a US Airways Flight Pleads Guilty

Philippe Jeannard,61, who conned his way into the cockpit of a US Airways flight in March pleaded guilty on Wednesday. He pleaded guilty in Pihladelphia to one count of fraud, reported CNN.

Jeannard used his mother's used Air France employee documents to pass as a pilot and get a free plane ride after he was denied an upgrad to business class, said the original complaint. His outfit had an Air France logo over the pocket on his button down shirt and he wore a black jacket with four gold stripes on the epaulets which is very similar to what pilots usually wear.

When he was at Philadelphia International Airport he sadi he was an Air France pilot and he made his way into the cockpit where there were two pilots on duty. CNN reported that he told the pilots that he was an Air France Boeing 747 pilot.

""He identified himself as a pilot and started to sit in the jump seat,"Philadelphia Inspector Joseph Sullivan told CNN in March. "But he immediately had a problem getting strapped in, and it was obvious to the real pilots that he couldn't be a pilot. He didn't know what he was doing."

The boarding agent spotted Jeannard in the cockpit and called the police to have him removed.

Jeannard had replaced his mothers information with his own name and photograph.

In a statement from Air France, they said, "The person who boarded this flight does not work for Air France. This person was not wearing an Air France uniform, badge (Crew Member Certificate) or carrying an Air France crew baggage. Regarding the badge, it was a very poor fake badge, which in no way resembled the Air France Crew Member Certificate (CMC)."

Police discovered documents on Jeannard which appeared to be Air France checklists and flight plans in his brief case, reported CNN.

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