Former Bay Area News Helicopter Pilot Arrested For Flying Without License, Lying
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- A former Bay Area news helicopter pilot has been arrested for flying without a proper license and lying to officials.
The Contra Costa Times reported John Michael Dial worked under the fake name Thomas R. Cuni while making 265 flights in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Court documents say Dial provided false information to the Federal Aviation Administration for years to be able to work as a pilot for an air ambulance service in Susanville and as a news helicopter pilot in Sacramento and San Francisco.
Dial's last recorded flights were under his real name using fake FAA documents to get a job with Sacramento's KCRA-TV.
Documents show Dial has used 24 other names and aliases over the past 12 years.
He faces up to five years in prison.
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