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 In 1986, his license was revoked for flying with a forged medical certificate.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.

FMI: www.ntsb.org