Sen. Inhofe takes course as punishment for unlawful landing
February 4, 2011, 05:00 pm
In response to the illegal landing Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe made on a closed runway, the Federal Aviation Administration punished the congressman by making him take a remedial flight safety course, according to an article by World Washington Bureau.
The senator, who landed his private plane in Port Isabel, Texas, recieved a letter from the FAA informing him that "such an operation is contrary to ... the Code of Federal Regulations,'' the paper reported. The unlawful landing would reportedly remain on his record for two years.
Though the punishment is relatively light, Senator Inhofe still feels he did nothing wrong since he was unaware that the runway was closed for work. He intends to speak about the incident during an upcoming senate meeting in an effort to reform rules concerning improving information provided to general aviation pilots when they are accused of wrongdoings. He believes if it had been a regular pilot instead of a U.S. senator "they could have ended up losing their license,'' he told the source.
The motivation behind the citation may be the danger that the landing posed not only to workers on the runway, but also to passengers on the plane, as well as Inhofe. These types of unexpected hazards reinforce the importance of pilot insurance, to protect pilots' families in the event of an accident.
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