The Palmer man who nearly caused a midair collision at the Palmer airport has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally operating an aircraft.
According to court documents, 56-year-old Palmer resident William Marsan is allegedly the owner and pilot of a private aircraft in Palmer. In June 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received a report that Marsan did not radio his intention to take off from an airport in Palmer and operated the aircraft against the flow of landing traffic, resulting in a near mid-air collision with another aircraft attempting to land.
Law enforcement investigated the June 2023 incident and discovered that Marsan was allegedly operating an aircraft without a valid license or valid registration. They also discovered he had allegedly obscured the identification number on the side of the aircraft with stickers.
As a result of the investigation, the FAA issued an Emergency Order of Revocation of the defendant’s Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, which required the immediate surrender of his pilot license or the filing of an appeal of the decision within 10 days. Marsan allegedly failed to file an appeal or surrender his license but has continued to operate his aircraft until the date of this indictment.
Marsan is charged with one count of operating an aircraft without an airman certificate, one count of operating an unregistered aircraft, and one count of operating an aircraft displaying a false registration mark.
The defendant was arrested on July 18 and will make his initial court appearance on July 23 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott A. Oravec of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office, and Regional Administrator Michael O’Hare of the FAA, Alaska Region.
The FBI Anchorage Field Office and the FAA, Alaska Region, are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bradley is prosecuting the case.
