Yorkshire Flying Instructor Jailed For Lies

4 February 2013, 17:56 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A flying instructor whose multimillionaire student died in a helicopter crash in North Yorkshire has been jailed for six months for lying to get him a pilot's licence.

Former Army captain 53 year old Ian King, falsely signed off businessman Paul Spencer's incomplete training records weeks before the tragedy, which also killed Mr Spencer's wife Linda.

The crash happened at Rudding Park resort in Harrogate in 2008.

Following the crash, a record of Mr Spencer's flying experience was found among his papers, that was different from the hours recorded in the official log submitted for his licence.

King's trial heard he knew it was false, but certified it to fast-track the process for his student.

The jury found him guilty of making a false representation with intent to deceive the Civil Aviation Authority. Mr King, of Clifford, near Wetherby, denied all the claims.

Mr Spencer didn’t have enough flying experience to actually get a license.  

King, who has two previous convictions for Civil Aviation Authority breaches and was suspended from acting as a flying instructor in 2009, signed off falsified logs in a bid to fast-track his licence.

The logbook showed that Mr Spencer, of Brighouse, West Yorkshire, had done 51.3 hours of training, the minimum being 45 hours.