A man who crashed his plane at John Prince Park on Sunday was not certified to fly the aircraft, according to records provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The pilot, Philip Castonova, was first issued a pilot’s certificate in 1977. However, records show the FAA suspended the certificate for 180 days in 1995 due to four violations.
In 1997, Castronova’s certificate was revoked because of a “fraudulent” or “intentionally false” statement on an application for a medical certification.
The FAA requires all pilots to have a certificate on file to legal fly an aircraft.
Records show Castronova had no prior accidents or incidents, but they also found no evidence Castronova reapplied for a pilot certificate since it was revoked in the late 90s.
The FAA told Contact 5 they are doing an in-depth review.