A NORTH Queensland pilot allegedly poured contaminants into commercial rivals? fuel tanks, faked crashes for insurance and flew charters without a licence for years before his dramatic arrest in Mount Isa yesterday.
Josh Hoch, 31, was intercepted by police about 2.30pm yesterday on a highway east of the town and last night charged with more than 300 offences going back several years.
The company is a significant player in the western commercial travel market and it is believed VIPs, including politicians, may have flown with Hoch at times from 2012 to 2016 when he is alleged to have been unlicensed.
The arrest poses serious questions about rural airport security and will plunge the Civil Aviation Safety Authority into crisis as police and officials probe what the authority knew or should have known about the claims against Hoch.
Last night senior police told the Bulletin the arrest was the culmination of several months of investigative work.
Hoch was questioned for seven hours before being charged with 342 counts of 14 different offences late last night.
Detective Inspector Chris Hodgman said it was only by sheer luck that no one had died when one of the allegedly sabotaged planes took to the sky.
?We are lucky over a number of years that an alleged rogue operator like this wasn't responsible for a disaster,? Insp Hodgman said.
?Two engine failures and the forced landing of the aircraft has happened ? the pilots ? were lucky to walk away.?
Insp Hodgman said safety measures were put in place as soon as police became aware of the alleged offending.
?The safety aspect was considered right from the start of the investigation. We had methodologies in place to ensure the continued safety of aircraft on that apron,? he said.
?At no stage was there any chance for tampering on any commercial aircraft at the Mount Isa Airport.?
Insp Hodgman said it was one of the most in-depth and unique investigations he had been part of in 30 years.
?There was a dedicated bunch of detectives who put in a lot of long hours to pull this investigation off,? he said.
Detectives working under Operation Oscar-Demotic allegedly uncovered evidence of fraud, tampering with aircraft, dangerous operation of aircraft and numerous aircraft safety breaches.
Police will allege they became aware of Hoch's alleged offending in October last year when another pilot reported damage to his plane for the second time that year.
It is understood detectives are investigating four such claims of tampering on three planes in 2016 alone.
It will be alleged each case was the same, with a contaminant poured into the fuel tanks of the aircraft, under the cover of darkness at Mount Isa Airport.
When the engines fired, the contaminant caused ?catastrophic? damage to the aircraft, grounding the planes for months, it is alleged.
Hoch has also been charged with insurance fraud relating to the alleged staged crash landing of two planes in 2014 and 2015.
It is understood Hoch had flown Katter's Australian Party politicians Bob Katter, Robbie Katter and Shane Knuth around the North and it is believed he has been chartered by other politicians and clients as well.
It will also be alleged Hoch was masking those commercial flights as private trips and would not log flight hours in order to bypass crucial maintenance checks.
Hoch is set to face Mount Isa Magistrates Court this morning.
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Originally Posted by Hugh Jars
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