Dan Gryder Was Arrested Last Fall On Assault Charges

The FAA is reportedly considering suspending the license of Daniel Wayne Gryder, following his arrest last fall on charges of aggravated assault and obstruction of an officer.

As ANN reported in November, according to local law enforcement reports (which a number of witnesses are disputing), Gryder allegedly nearly clipped a Spaulding County, GA code enforcement officer's vehicle with the wing of his DC-3 in an attempt to avoid being arrested. The report at the time indicated that he was being cited for unauthorized driving on airport property, but Gryder allegedly refused to sign the documents, climbed into his 1937 DC-3, and started the engines. Gryder then allegedly ignored orders to stop his plane from local police, and the only thing that stopped him from flying away was a reported lack of fuel for the airplane.

When he was refused refueling, he shut down the engines of the vintage Douglas and submitted to arrest.

Now, television station WAGA in Atlanta reports that the FAA is looking at suspending Gryder's pilots license for "reckless" behaviour in the incident. The Fox station's report appears haphazardly prepared, even calling the DC-3 a 'jet' and admitting that that they have not gotten Gryder's side of the story.

Documents filed by the FAA indicate they consider his actions "so careless" that he endangered the lives of others. A FOIA request with the FAA confirms that a Notice of Proposed Certificate Action is underway, but that the statement relies solely on testimony by the same local airport officials who went after Gryder in what has been described as a 'long-term' campaign of mutual antagonism. A number of local reports from persons with experience at the Griffin-Spaulding airport suggest that Gryder's problems are due to a 'failure to play nice' with political issues involving airport access and a local government that has had more than its share of scandals in the last few months.

Dan Gryder File Photo

The station reports that Delta has said Gryder is still flying for them, after being suspended following the original incident last fall. ANN is developing additional information on this story, and will report it when it becomes available.

FMI: www.faa.gov