Unlicenced New Zealand Pilot Sentenced After Crashing Aircraft

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority has welcomed the fining of a man for multiple serious breaches of aviation safety rules, including flying without a pilot licence, flying an aircraft without a certificate of airworthiness, and operating in a manner that caused unnecessary danger.

The unnamed individual was fined NZD14,475 (USD8,633).

The man was on his own piloting the amateur-built Jodel D.11 aircraft when it took off from Feilding Aerodrome on March 23, 2024 and crash landed in a field approximately one kilometre south of the Marton township.

The aircraft, which he had been rebuilding since it was involved in an earlier crash, was damaged beyond repair in the crash and the man sustained serious injuries.

The investigation found the defendant had operated the aircraft on several occasions despite not holding a pilot licence, and while the aircraft was not certified as airworthy. The agency said this undermined the safety and integrity of the aviation system, and breaches New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Rules.

“The pilot made a series of reckless choices that could have had significant consequences for other people, in addition to the serious injuries he suffered,” said CAA Deputy Chief Executive Dean Winter.

The court considered the seriousness of the offending and the potential for harm when imposing the fine, noting the danger to the public under the aircraft flightpath, emergency services personnel attending the crash site, and other airspace users.

The Marton District court sentenced the man on July 16, 2025 for the following charges:

Under Section 46 of the Civil Aviation Act 1990:

- Operating aircraft without necessary aviation document; and

- Operating aircraft without necessary aviation document;

Under Section 44 of the Civil Aviation Act 1990.

- Operating aircraft in a manner that caused unnecessary danger;

The Civil Aviation Authority says it will continue to investigate and take action appropriate against serious breaches of aviation law where safety is compromised.