A self-declared 'free citizen' flying an unlicensed plane almost caused a midair crash, feds say
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- A pilot is accused of causing a near-miss at an airport in Anchorage, Alaska.
- William Brian Marsan, who claims to be a 'free citizen,' hadn't radioed his intention to take off, feds say.
- His arguments in court resemble those of the Sovereign Citizen movement.
A pilot calling himself a "free citizen" is accused of almost causing a midair crash after taking off in the direction of landing planes, federal investigators say.
In June last year, the FAA received a report that William Brian Marsan, 56, failed to radio his intention to take off from Warren "Bud" Woods Palmer Municipal Airport, in Palmer, Alaska, according to court documents seen by Business Insider.
The federal indictment said that Marsan pointed his Piper Cherokee against the flow of landing air traffic.
That resulted in "a near mid-air collision" with another plane, the indictment said.
It added that when FAA inspectors caught up with Marsan when he landed back at the airport a few days later, he refused to cooperate, calling himself a "free citizen."
He claimed he did not need a pilot's certificate or medical certificate, which had been requested by the inspector, the indictment said.
Marsan had allowed his medical certificates — required by the FAA to fly solo — to lapse in 2021, the indictment said.
In 2022, he also wrote to the FAA to ask for his plane to be deregistered, it added.
A court memorandum filed on Monday said that Marsan planned to represent himself in the case, and that he said he was not a US citizen but an "American State National," and therefore not subject to federal law.
Statements like this are hallmarks of the Sovereign Citizen movement, according to the Anti-Defamation League, although the indictment has not identified him as such.
Marsan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
"Sovereign Citizens" is the common name given to a loose set of groups that claim not to be under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
According to the memorandum, Marsan also claimed that he was not the person named in the indictment because his name was written in capital letters — another tactic that the Southern Poverty Law Center says is reminiscent of spurious arguments used in the movement.
Meanwhile, Marsan had obscured his plane's registration number with a flag whose description in the indictment closely matched one commonly used by the movement.
In court, Marsan said that he didn't consider himself the defendant, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Asked to enter a plea, he said: "Nothing stands between me, myself, and the creator. I am innocent."
The judge accepted this as a not-guilty plea, the newspaper reported.
The outlet added that Marsan and his wife owned and operated Sound Aviation, an aerial tour company offering scenic trips over Anchorage.
A company website with the same name is now defunct, but an archived version of the page described it as a family business run by a "Bill Marsan." Marsan had racked up 30,000 hours of flying time, the site said.
A Facebook page apparently connected to the company says it "ended service and business in 2020."
The page is littered with positive reviews up until 2021, when one commenter wrote: "The owner is a flat earther and is quite off his rocker."