14 DAY TRIAL // A French national has been arrested on multiple charges after forging documentation in a bid to claim that he was a pilot.
61-year-old Philippe Jernnard LaRocelle was questioned about his identity and intentions by the actual pilot of the US Airways flight he was on.
The man from La Rochelle in France introduced himself as a pilot for the French airline while donning an Air France pilot's uniform but his story didn't hold water.
Jernnard was seated in the jump-seat, having been allowed to enter the cockpit. He told staff about being a 747 pilot, but when prompted to show documentation it became obvious that his ID had been forged.
NY Daily News reports that he boarded a flight in Philadelphia and the plane was headed to West Palm Beach in Florida. He got on the flight at 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, WPVI adds.
The pilot asked him to leave the cockpit and take a seat, alerting authorities of the incident. When Jeannard was met by police as the plane landed, he had changed out of his uniform.
"This person was not wearing an Air France uniform, badge (Crew Member Certificate) or carrying an Air France crew baggage.
"Regarding the badge, it was a very poor fake badge, which in no way resembled the Air France Crew Member Certificate (CMC)," an Air France spokesperson said in a communication posted by NPR.
When law enforcement officials searched his belongings, they recovered the Air France pilot's outfit and his fake ID. He has been detained and turned over to Southwest Detectives and his traveling documents have been seized.
Police have charged him with trespassing and impersonation, falsely identifying himself to a police officer, as well as forgery and record tampering for creating and providing a false ID. His bail has been set at $1 million (€772 K), and he will appear in court on April 5.