PM near miss pilot loses licence

THE pilot of a private plane which almost collided with François Fillon’s jet has had his licence suspended.

The court of Versailles suspended the licence of Xavier Thiry, the pilot of the single-engine Cessna, for 18 months and fined him €1,000 for flying outside of authorised zones above Toussus-le-Noble on September 28.

His plane came exceptionally close to the Falcon jet carrying Mr Fillion which was landing at Villacoublay. The planes passed within 60 metres of each other.

Staff in the prime minister's office said passengers had felt a sudden acceleration as the crew engaged emergency procedures, but said no one was hurt in the incident.

The pilot said he was expecting “a bit more leniency and objectivity”.

He added that following the incident he was subjected to security measures of a “rare brutality”, speaking of a search for explosives, his arrest and being put into custody.

His lawyer Gilles Khaiat said his client might appeal the verdict within the next 10 days.

The Investigation and Analysis Bureau (BEA), in charge of investigating accidents and near misses, said it was astonished that the Cessna had been flying in the Class A airspace above Paris without radio contact.

It added that the discipline commision of France’s civil aviation authority would generally demand the temporary suspension of a pilot’s licence for such an offence.

Photo:A Falcon 900 similar to the PM's plane