No pilot wants to put their certificate in jeopardy. As a
result, if there is a minor accident or incident, the first,
panicked reaction might be to lie about what happened. As one
Wayland, New York man is now finding out, this is the worst thing
you can do.
Brian Woodhams had a student pilot's license in October
2015. As a result, he was only permitted to fly alone or with a
flight instructor. On October 31, 2015, Mr. Woodhams had difficulty
landing his Piper Cherokee, and wound up running off the runway and
putting the aircraft in a
ditch. After the accident, Mr. Woodhams told FAA
Aviation Safety Inspectors that he was the only person in the
aircraft. He also told the inspector that his 15 year old son was
at the airport at the time of the incident and, upon seeing the
crash, came out to the wreckage, where he slipped and fell as he
climbed up the flap, resulting in a bloody nose.
