Aerial photo of the bankrupt island state of Nauru
Photo: The pilot was arrested by police when he landed on Nauru
(Torsten Blackwood: AFP)
A Google map image of the tiny island of Nauru.
Source: Supplied
A junk food craving may end up costing a helicopter pilot $100,000, after he made an unauthorized landing on the island nation of Nauru to pick up some soft drink and chocolate.
Nauru government spokesman Rod Henshaw told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program the pilot, based on board a Taiwanese fishing vessel, was arrested by police when he landed on the beach near the island's main supermarket.
"I heard last night that this chopper had landed at Capelle Beach, which is just in front of the main supermarket here on the island, and they apparently told the police that they saw the supermarket sign so they landed there and went and got some chocolates and some soft drinks and a few snacks," he said.
Mr Henshaw, a former ABC journalist, said the pilot told police he had been offshore for more than two months and was going "sea crazy".
"So apparently he gave the story to the police that he'd been 75 days at sea and he was going sea crazy, so he said 'look, we're only a short hop from this island, let's go and see what we can get in the way of a few snacks'," he said.
"So he and his passenger hopped aboard this little two-seater and away they went."
Unfortunately for the pilot, a 24-year-old Australian man, police were unmoved by their plight and impounded the helicopter.
"After they landed, that's when it aroused quite a bit of attention, particularly from the police, who then intervened," Mr Henshaw said.
"[The pilots] said 'well, we'll be off now thank you very much' and they [the police] said 'well, it's not quite that simple. We're detaining you and we're impounding your aircraft - let's fly it to the airport', which they did under onboard escort, and that's when the further questioning took place.
"It seems that they could be up for a maximum fine of $100,000 or the pilot could be for the unauthorised landing - that's against the Civil Aviation regulations - and also further action for breaches of the Immigration Act for entering in illegally, either entering without visas or the necessary documentation."
The pilot has since been released from custody.
Source: http://www.abc.net.au
The 24-year-old, who had been at sea working on a Taiwanese fishing vessel for 75 days, spotted a supermarket as he was flying over Nauru, a tiny and remote nation in the middle of the South Pacific.
The 24-year-old, who had been at sea working on a Taiwanese fishing vessel for 75 days, spotted a supermarket as he was flying over Nauru, a tiny and remote nation in the middle of the South Pacific.
Hunger cravings took over, and he landed the aircraft on a strip of beach outside the supermarket, without alerting the authorities to his plans.
After popping in to the shop to pick up a drink, some chocolate and a snack, he attempted to leave the island, but Nauru's police force refused to let him fly off.
Instead, they impounded his helicopter and took him in for questioning.
Rod Henshaw, a spokesman for the Nauru government, said the pilot had been arrested for making an unauthorised landing in the country.
"I heard last night that this chopper had landed at Capelle Beach, which is just in front of the main supermarket here on the island, and they apparently told the police that they saw the supermarket sign so they landed there and went and got some chocolates and some soft drinks and a few snacks," he told Radio Australia.
The man apparently tried to argue that he was "sea crazy" after spending more than two months at sea, but the police refused to accept his excuse.
Large fishing vessels, which take to sea for months at a time, often employ helicopter pilots to help them navigate around shallow reefs and spot shoals of fish.
"He said 'look, we're only a short hop from this island, let's go and see what we can get in the way of a few snacks'," Mr Henshaw said.
"So he and his passenger hopped aboard this little two-seater and away they went.
"After they landed, that's when it aroused quite a bit of attention, particularly from the police, who then intervened," Mr Henshaw said.
The man now faces a maximum fine of $100,000 for breaching Civil Aviation regulations and for breaching the Immigration Act. The pilot and his passenger will spend the night in jail before facing court in the morning.
Nauru is the world's smallest island state, with a population of just over 9,000. The country covers just 21 square miles and – being hundreds of miles from any other inhabited islands – unannounced visitors are rare.
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