Former Public Security Ministry pilot Pablo Cañas charges that the government’s planes are poorly maintained — but is he a whistle-blower or merely a disgruntled ex-employee?
Last Thursday, he chained himself to a tree west of the National Stadium in the capital’s Sabana Park to protest his firing last year for allegedly flying a private plane, forbidden for full-time Security pilots. Tuesday, he gave up his vigil, no doubt because of competition with hundred of other protestors throughout the country.
“The only thing I’m asking,” he said, “is to talk with Security Minister Mario Zamora to explain my situation so I can collect my legal severance pay and stop the persecution against me — I can’t find work.”
But Security press secretary Nicolas Aguilar says Zamora can’t comment because Cañas has an on-going legal case against the ministry. Aguilar says that Cañas ignored a 2006 memo prohibiting full-time pilots from logging flight time in private aircraft.
Cañas, 42, joined the Security Miinstry as an Aerial Surveillance Service pilot on Aug, 16, 1992. He was fired April 17, 2012, and deprived of severance benefits because he allegedly violated orders. But he says he wasn’t making private flights.
“What happened,” he told La Nacion, “is that for the past 12 years I’ve been an instructor in a flying school. This includes both theoretical and practical lessons so of course I have to fly with students. The planes belong to the school.”
Cañas says it all began when he told his superiors about defects in the planes and complained for a lack proper servicing of the machines. He also talked to prosecutors Nov.16, 2011, about irregularities leading to an accident and the collection of insurance. His complaint was filed and forgotten, he says
He added that in another case, the landing gear on a government plane was defective and the plane crashed on landing despite warnings about the defect. Just this week, a Surveillance Service Caribou had to make a forced landing when one of its two engines quit in flight, endangering the 17 policemen aboard.
Source: iNews.co.cr
