It’s natural for any adventurous spirit to want to explore an old aircraft – probably more so if it’s a retired Boeing 747. Aviation museums are the typical place to do this, but for one Englishman, the temptation at Cotswold Airport was too great. Caught entering a stored jumbo jet in January 2021, Liam Greig has been charged and fined for his actions.
Greig’s January adventure
It was on January 30th that 32-year old Liam Greig entered a restricted security area at Cotswold Airport. Accompanied by three other men, The Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard reports that Greig climbed onto the retired 747-400 and entered the aircraft’s fuselage.
After photographing himself inside the aircraft, Greig drove away in a car, along with the rest of his group. The airport staff spotted the vehicle leaving and reported it to authorities.
£240 fine
Court proceedings showed that a police investigation located Greig after he published the photographs on his Facebook page. The pictures reportedly show Greig inside of the jumbo jet with him wearing a face mask.
Interviewed by police, Greig confessed to the crime. Defending Greig, Stefan Sims stated:
“Had Greig not given a full statement, the police might have had trouble in bringing the case to court. He is a family man who has a number of health conditions…His hobby is being an urban explorer and he attends many abandoned sites in the South West locality that included former stately homes, tunnels and industrial buildings,” (via The Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)
Sims adds that following the incident, Greig “has not embarked on any further adventures,” adding that he has learned his lesson from this court process.
With Greig pleading guilty to entering a restricted area of the airfield without permission, the judge ruled that he would be punished with a fine of £240 ($330). In addition to this, the guilty trespasser must cover the court costs of £85 ($117) and a victim surcharge of £34 ($47). This makes for a total of £359 – equivalent to just under $500.
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“It seems to me that as an urban explorer you trespass on a number of properties where you are not entitled to and this instance it was an airfield. However you have admitted what you have done to the police and in court at the earliest opportunity and I am going to deal with you on the basis of what you said happened and that you didn’t cause any damage.” -District Judge Nicholas Wattam via Glos News
The now non-existent 747
The aircraft that was entered on the January 30th incident was a retired British Airways 747-400 (formerly) registered as G-CIVL with MSN 27478 and Line Number 1108. This aircraft joined the BA fleet in March of 1997 and flew with the carrier until the global health crisis hit. With BA’s decision to retire its entire 747 fleet, G-CIVL’s final flight would take place in March of 2020, making for a total service life of 23 years.
In 2009 the aircraft was given its oneworld livery, which would also appear on a number of other BA 747-400s, including G-CIVC, CIVD, CIVI, CIVK, CIVM, CIVP. Very sadly, the jet was broken up at Cotswold Airport in March of 2021.
What do you think of the consequences? Were they too light or just right? Let us know by leaving a comment.
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