Canadian Pilot Allegedly Flew Over 900 Flights Without Correct License

A Canadian pilot allegedly flew over 900 flights without the correct pilot’s license between 2009 and 2025.

The Peel Regional Police Fraud Bureau (PRPFB) arrested and charged former Air Canada Captain Geoffrey Wall with fraud and forgery, according to a statement. The 59-year-old from Ontario, Canada, retired in 2025 after working as a commercial airline pilot for 27 years, police said.

Wall first fell under suspicion when he used questionable credentials during a standard regulatory check at Toronto Pearson International Airport in March 2025, Peel Regional Police Detective Chad Michell said, according to The New York Times. The PRPFB launched a criminal investigation called “Project Icarus” in January 2026 after Transport Canada, the federal supervisor of aviation, started reviewing Wall’s credentials, the agency said.

“The subsequent police investigation revealed that the accused allegedly used fraudulent pilot licenses during his career and service as a captain,” the statement read. “Through the execution of a residential search warrant and other judicial authorizations, investigators obtained evidence indicating the accused allegedly deceived both his employer, Air Canada, and the federal civil aviation regulator, Transport Canada.”

Records obtained by the police allegedly show that Wall had a Commercial Pilot License (CPL-A) but not the Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL-A) required for a captain to operate aircraft such as the Boeing 777. A CPL allows pilots to operate charter and corporate flights or serve as first officers aboard commercial airlines, whereas an ATPL is necessary for captains of commercial airlines and requires more hours to become active. A CPL-A is a commercial license for airplanes specifically.

The PRPFB charged Wall with seven counts, including fraud over $5,000, uttering forged documents and public mischief, at the end of their four-month investigation. Wall flew over 900 international and domestic flights and earned over $2.9 million for his work, according to the statement. He also served as the Chair of the Master Executive Council of the Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA), police said.

This sounds straight out of Catch Me If You Can. Police have arrested a former Air Canada pilot who allegedly spent nearly 16 years flying as a captain on over 900 flights using a counterfeit license.https://t.co/Q8fCmFeuv5

— News 4 Reno (@News4Reno) June 10, 2026

“This investigation and the details surrounding it read like a movie script,” said Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich in a news conference Tuesday “This is very similar to a doctor that is licensed to practice family medicine but is doing brain surgery in their office. There’s additional requirements and regulations to professional designations that exist for a reason.”

Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Nishan Duraiappah also emphasized the gravity of the case. “This case is deeply concerning and strikes at the heart of public trust and safety, as the accused is alleged to have put hundreds of thousands of passengers at risk across more than 900 domestic and international flights,” Duraiappah said in the police statement. (RELATED: WATCH: Aircraft Engine Falls Off Moments Before Fatal Crash)

Air Canada released a statement Monday after Transport Canada issued a fine to a former pilot. They did not name Geoffrey Wall in the statement.

“Safety was not compromised by this incident because all pilots at Air Canada undergo mandatory recurrent training every six months to validate their flying competency, including a flight check with a certified Transport Canada check-pilot every 12 months,” the statement read.

“However, appropriate licencing is an essential layer of the airline industry’s multi-layered approach to safety, so Air Canada takes this matter with utmost seriousness,” the statement continued. “It has undertaken an audit of its pilot group and found no other instances of non-compliance.”

The statement described the individual as “a fully trained pilot” who showed “a high level of competency to safely operate large aircraft.” Air Canada refrained from additional comment because of privacy law and the ongoing investigation.

After his retirement, Wall served as a coordinator for students with military connections at Georgian College, according to The New York Times. He wrote a personal essay posted on the college’s website in November 2025, according to an archived version. The essay appears to have been removed. Georgian College spokesman Philip Scheirich verified that Wall was a part-time employee but refused to provide comment on his apprehension or professional situation because of the ongoing investigation, according to CBC Toronto.

Wall described how he began flying in high school, according to the since-deleted post, recalling how he earned a private pilot’s license before joining the Canadian military and then getting a job at Air Canada in 1998.

“I still remember thinking there was no way I’d get the job, but I took the chance and it led to a 25-year career. I flew DC-9s, Airbus 320s, Embraers, 767s, 787s and retired off the Boeing 777,” he wrote.