Wed, May 13, 2009
Bizarre Story May Finally Have Come To End... We Hope
The last few days have been busy for NTSB personnel...
and while far more serious issues were being addressed in public
hearings over the CO 3407 crash, another part of the NTSB was
putting the last nail in a pilot's career that certainly
tarnished the image of aviation and aviators everywhere.
As ANN reported, Martz drew the FAA's attention several weeks
ago, after a video went public showing Martz operating a helicopter
over southern California while engaged in a sexual tryst with porn
star Puma Swede. The video was made in 2007... but came to light on
Hollywood gossip site TMZ.com after a helicopter flown by Martz was
forced to land at Van Nuys February 1 after allegedly flying too
close to a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter.
"These actions showed a
careless and reckless disregard for safety and showed that he lacks
the care, judgment and responsibility to hold a commercial pilot
certificate," FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told the San Diego
Union-Tribune.
Martz has run afoul of the FAA several times before. In 1986,
his license was revoked for flying with a forged medical
certificate. In 2002, he received a 30-day suspension for doing
aerobatics below 1,500 feet and over a populated area.
In 2003 Martz again lost his license, this time for landing too
close to personnel on the ground at Marine Corps Air Station
Miramar. Finally, the FAA suspended him for 230 days in 2005 for
flying passengers in a helicopter he knew was damaged.
Well... the inevitable appeal has taken place an the inevitable
unwillingness to reverse the conviction followed shortly
thereafter. On April 7, 2009, Administrative Law Judge William R.
Mullins ruled, "IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED THAT safety in air commerce
and safety in air transportation requires an affirmation of the
Emergency Order of Revocation. And, specifically, I find that a
preponderance of the reliable and probative evidence has
established grossly reckless conduct and in violation of FAR
91.13(a) by this Respondent. And, therefore, the Emergency Order of
Revocation is affirmed.
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