Wed, Aug 13, 2008
Faces Two Months In Jail
A Florida-based helicopter pilot
faces up to two months in prison after pleading guilty to a slew of
charges connected to an incident last November.
As ANN reported, Ronald John Davis, Jr. was
accused of flying erratically while giving rides at the Suffolk
(VA) Peanut Fest. A family who flew with the pilot told authorities
they smelled alcohol onboard during their flight... and the head of
the local airport authority said Davis' helicopter flew
approximately 20-30 feet over parked cars, performing maneuvers he
called dangerously acrobatic.
Davis, the operator of Good Time Helicopters in Naples, FL, was
later arrested by police for flying under the influence. The pilot
allegedly failed a field sobriety test, and later blew a 0.116 BAC
-- nearly three times the legal limit for pilots. He blew a .07 a
few hours after the flights... still above the FAA's .04
maximum.
The pilot, who told the court he had over 13,000 hours flying
experience, had prior history of alcohol abuse, and no record of
past FAA enforcement actions.
This week, Davis pleaded guilty to child abuse and neglect in
connection with his flights, reports WBBH-2, as part of a plea
agreement with prosecutors. He was also charged with reckless
operation of an aircraft... but charges of operating the helicopter
under the influence were dropped, as was a second child abuse
charge.
Davis will be sentenced November 13. While the term of his jail
sentence, of any, remains up in the air... Davis will be
ground-bound for five years, forbidden by the FAA from serving as
PIC.
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