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Comment by foobarian | Hacker News Reader

Wow, that's a lot of expensive trouble to go through to cover up. I wonder what the penalties would be otherwise - I'm sure there is some kind of code it broke but it's not obviously illegal. It's like me crashing my car on purpose.

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> sure there is some kind of code it broke but it's not obviously illegal

It's very illegal. Part 91 § 91.13 careless or reckless operation [1] and § 91.15 dropping objects [2]. (I'm studying for my pilot's license.)

Also, until SCOTUS rules otherwise, agency rules carry the strength of statute.

[1] https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-91.13

[2] https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-91.15

Sure, but is it a felony-20-years-in-a-FPITA-prison illegal, or a giant-fine-and-revocation-of-pilot-license illegal? :-)

> is it a felony-20-years-in-a-FPITA-prison illegal, or a giant-fine-and-revocation-of-pilot-license illegal

Probably the latter unless someone gets hurt. (Agree with you that this was a dumb cover-up. Particularly when he seems to have done the cover up before posting the video?)

When does it become a cover-up vs "oopsie, didn't know"?

If he had dismantled the plane before the FAA knew about the crash, would that still qualify as destroying evidence?

Chopping up the plane and distributing the pieces in assorted different regular trash bins over time sounds like mens rea to me

As far as I understand in the aviation world the expectation is that you tell the FAA after any incident, nevermind crash, and presumably wait for their guidance on the wreck.

Some forms of reckless driving are considered felonies and can land you in prison, I feel like it would or should be worse with an airplane.

> FPITA-prison

Rape isn't funny. You might want to consider not using that slang term.

I'm pretty sure it is legal in the United States to buy a car and drive it uninsured on your own private property... and drive it into a brick wall at high speed. There is a YouTuber who is basically doing this now: Buying expensive cars and wrecking them on his private land. (I forget his name, but US-based guy. One video was him wrecking a highly customized Mercedes G Wagon.)

If you google the search terms "talladega big one" you will see a great variety of uninsured, expensive cars being driven on private property and aggressively junked ten or twenty at a time. This is most certainly not illegal without additional bad conduct.

Okay but in the US cars are generally above the law in many ways

Whistlindiesel

How can you think that this isn't obviously illegal lmao.

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