Josh Hoch, age 31, of North Queensland, has been charged in an Australian court with pouring contaminants into the fuel tanks of rival operators, causing engine failures and forced landings. Officials said Hoch, whose Linked In profile describes him as the “owner, director and chief pilot of Hoch Air,” also faked crashes twice, in 2014 and 2015, to collect insurance money, and flew charters without a license for years. Hoch was charged with 342 counts of 14 different offenses, with a maximum penalty of life in prison. “We are lucky over a number of years that an alleged rogue operator like this wasn’t responsible for a disaster,” said Detective Inspector Chris Hodgman. “The pilots [of the sabotaged airplanes] … were lucky to walk away.”
Officials said they are investigating four claims of tampering with aircraft in 2016. In each case, a contaminant was poured into the fuel tanks during the night at Mount Isa Airport. When two of the airplanes powered up, the contaminant caused “catastrophic” damage, and the airplanes were grounded for months. The other two airplanes experienced damage in flight, and the pilots were forced to land. Hoch also was charged with assaulting an aircraft engineer, causing “permanent and life-changing head injuries.” A lawyer for Hoch told reporters the charges are based on “circumstantial” evidence. Bail was set at $50,000, but as of Wednesday morning the bail had not been met and Hoch was still in custody.
