No charges will be laid against civilian pilot who violated G7 airspace during summit
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$0 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
CALGARY – A wayward pilot whose actions forced officials to scramble four CF-18 Hornet fighter jets during the G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta earlier this year won’t be facing criminal charges.
During the summit in June — which included leaders from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union — no-fly zones were in place over Kananaskis Village and the Calgary International Airport.
There was one violation over Kananaskis, the day the leaders were set to arrive.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command deployed fighter jets to intercept the fixed-wing civilian aircraft above the Kananaskis area and tried to get his attention before resorting to final warning measures to contact the pilot.
Police said the Royal Canadian Air Force and NORAD were able to have the man exit the controlled airspace and directed him to land in Brooks, Alta., 285 kilometres to the east, where he was met by RCMP.
“The RCMP concluded their investigation with no charges,” said RCMP Cpl. Gina Slaney in an email.
The findings of the original RCMP investigation were forwarded to Transport Canada.
“Transport Canada has reviewed the circumstances of this incident to determine whether the Canadian Aviation Regulations were followed,” said Transport Canada in a statement.
“Transport Canada maintains strict requirements, oversight measures, and enforcement tools to ensure compliance.”
The statement said the department publishes a non-corporate offenders list to serve as a deterrent and to increase public awareness and education. But to comply with the Privacy Act, it excludes names and any other information that could identify individuals.
It isn’t clear if the offending pilot would be added to the non-corporate offenders list.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2025.