Raičević in the pocket, another pilot is wanted: CAA punishes one of those responsible for "stunts" over Boka

The Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) has fined a sports pilot from Berane for an irregular flight. Dragiša Gaga Raičević, one of the initiators of the international seaplane regatta in Montenegro "Montadria".

This has so far resulted from the inspection surveillance launched by the CAA on July 21, after citizens reported the extremely problematic and potentially dangerous flight of an ultralight seaplane of the "Icona A5" type, American registration number N158BA, over the waters of the Risan and Kotor Bays in Boka Bay.

Due to the manner in which the seaplane was flying that day, the CAA, immediately after receiving a report from citizens and receiving recordings made by numerous tourists on their phones, initiated an urgent extraordinary inspection of the pilot and other entities that, according to aviation and navigation safety regulations, should have been involved in approving and controlling the implementation of seaplane operations in Boka Bay. On July 5, the “Icon A19” flew, among other things, at an extremely low altitude, only ten meters above the sea, over the waters of the Risan Bay in the area of Morinje and Kostanjica. In doing so, it literally flew between various vessels, “wandering” between them at a short distance and at a height often lower than the height of the masts of the sailboats it was flying between.

The aggressive maneuvering and extreme flying of the seaplane attracted great attention from numerous tourists and locals who took photographs and filmed it, reported it to the authorities and submitted it to the media.

At one point, the seaplane landed on the sea in front of Ljuta, at a position that is clearly marked on all nautical charts as anchorage 2/3 of the Port of Kotor.

Immediately upon learning of the event, the CAA launched an emergency inspection due to the potential threat to flight safety, as well as the safety of people and property on the coasts and in the waters of the Bay of Kotor.

When asked by "Vijesti" what was determined, and what measures were taken in relation to Dragiša Raičević in relation to this or some other case, because in the past he has often been involved in similar controversial events in the air and at sea, they replied that "inspection supervision in relation to the reported case from July 19 this year continues."

"Given that the question is partly related to a specific person, whose identity the CAA cannot reveal due to restrictions in the Personal Data Protection Act, it cannot be answered in that part. Regarding the aforementioned event, we can say that all video recordings related to the ICON A5 aircraft were reviewed, based on which it was not possible to prove that DR flew outside the prescribed rules for visual flight and rules for off-airport landing and take-off. During the inspection, an irregularity was determined for two flights that day due to the lack of language authorization for English, because the take-off and landing were carried out from an airport where the use of English is mandatory. According to the Air Traffic Act (Article 166, paragraph 1, item 1, in conjunction with Article 14, paragraph 2), a misdemeanor order was issued for DR, which he confirmed and signed without objections," it was announced to "Vijesti".

They explained that of the four flights that were performed on July 19th by the ICON A5 aircraft (IN158BA), "it was determined that on the flight for which we were notified - DR was not the pilot-in-command (PIC)."

"This was determined during the inspection based on the flight plan submitted by the competent air traffic control and other operational data and information. Therefore, the inspection procedure continues to identify and prosecute that PIC, who is suspected of having acted in violation of visual flight rules," the CAA stated, adding that the Agency "continues intensive surveillance activities within its jurisdiction in the coastal part of Montenegro, especially in the Bay of Kotor."

The flight for which the CAA was notified and which it is still investigating is precisely the most problematic of all the activities of this aircraft that day over Boka, because the video footage taken from a vessel off the coast of Kostanjica clearly shows that the "Icon A5", flying at a speed of around 70-80 knots, at a low altitude and a very short distance, flew literally between the yachts and sailboats that were then in this part of the bay.

Raičević, as we unofficially learned, denied to the Agency that he was at the controls of the seaplane at the time, claiming that the pilot in command (PIC) in that aircraft was allegedly another person - a foreign citizen.