Man Arrested On US Airways Flight After Impersonating Pilot

A 61-year-old French man on a US Airways flight out of Philadelphia almost got an upgrade by playing pilot.

Philippe Jernnard, of La Rochelle, France, had a ticket and was denied an upgrade for the West Palm Beach, Fla., flight departing Philadelphia International Airport on Wednesday. He later showed up in the cockpit jump seat wearing a white shirt with an Air France logo and a black jacket with epaulets, CBS News reports.

CBS says Jernnard was had what appeared to be an Air France flight crew identification card that was later found to be counterfeit.

When questioned by flight crew, he allegedly identified himself as a 747 pilot for Air France. When asked to produce proper credentials, Jernnard became argumentative.

He was removed from the flight and detained by police. He has been charged with criminal trespass, tampering with records, impersonating a person privately employed, and presenting false ID to law enforcement.

How Jernnard got into the cockpit is still under investigation. He's being held on $1 million bail.

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