On Monday, March 24, an aviation session took place at the court in Haarlem, where five men were to account for various criminal offenses within civil aviation.
Failure to Follow Crew Instructions
The first suspect was a 32-year-old man from The Hague who is suspected of having committed violence on board an aircraft on August 19, 2024. The plane had just landed from Malaga at Schiphol. The man panicked while disembarking and attempted to open the emergency door. When the crew tried to stop him, he pushed several crew members, causing a disturbance on board. The public prosecutor demanded a community service of 40 hours and a conditional prison sentence of 1 week. The magistrate imposed a conditional community service of 40 hours, with a probation period of 2 years.
Violence on Board the Aircraft
A 46-year-old man from Utrecht caused a scene on November 17, 2024, on a flight from Amsterdam to Faro. He did not follow the instructions given to him by the crew on board. He insulted a purser and several passengers. He also pushed, spat, and kicked against a partition of the aircraft. He was detained – with the help of an off-duty police officer – and restrained with tie-wraps. The man tried desperately to free himself and was held down by the purser and the officer. His resistance created such an unsafe situation on board that the pilot decided to make an emergency landing in Porto and remove the passenger from the aircraft. The public prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of 3 months against the man, and the magistrate imposed this sentence as well. Two months of the sentence are conditional, with a probation period of 2 years. The airline was awarded compensation for the costs of the emergency landing.
Near Collision Above Glider Airfield
A 67-year-old man from Belgium nearly caused a collision on July 8, 2023, as the pilot of a small motor aircraft by flying directly over the glider airfield De Noordkop at an altitude of about 1330 feet. Shortly before, a glider had been towed into the air (taking off with the help of a cable). The pilot of the glider, a student pilot, saw the motor aircraft on a collision course flying towards him. It is thanks to the glider pilot that no collision occurred: he had the presence of mind to abort the flight and disconnect the cable with which he was being towed. The motor aircraft did not change course and continued in a straight line. The instructor of the gliding club attempted twice to contact the Belgian pilot to discuss the incident and learn from it, but without success. The glider pilot found this very unfortunate, stating in court: “It could have been that we both had our last flight.” The Belgian pilot also refused to provide a statement in the criminal investigation. The Public Prosecution Service takes this seriously, as this attitude does not fit with the Just Culture that is promoted in aviation to improve flight safety. The risk of flying over glider airfields is emphasized in the Dutch Action Plan for Aviation Safety and is also extensively explained on the KNVvL website. The public prosecutor described the actions of the Belgian pilot as a gross negligence that created a very dangerous situation. The prosecutor demanded a fine of 2000 euros and a suspension of the flying license for 6 months. The magistrate convicted the man in accordance with the demand.
Vaping and Causing Noise Disturbance
A 39-year-old man from Rotterdam did not follow the instructions given to him by the captain during a flight on September 29, 2024. He was on a flight from Jordan to Amsterdam when he was caught vaping during the flight. The man shouted and swore, causing noise disturbance. This was despite the fact that all passengers are aware of the rules that prohibit smoking and causing noise disturbance on board an aircraft. The man later refused to pay a fine and therefore had to account for himself before the magistrate. The public prosecutor demanded a fine of 320 euros against the man, and the magistrate imposed this fine as well.
Laser Pointer on Police Helicopter
A 27-year-old man from Zeewolde posed a danger to air traffic on January 20, 2024, when he shone a laser pointer at a police helicopter in Harderwijk. The light from this laser pointer was powerful enough to blind the occupants of a helicopter at flying altitude. Shining the laser at the helicopter thus created a potentially dangerous situation and a serious offense. The public prosecutor demanded a fine of 800 euros against the man, and the magistrate imposed this fine as well.
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