Veteran pilot wins the ultimate revenge after she was sacked for calling her boss a ‘woman hater’
A pilot with nearly 30 years experience has won her job back after she was sacked for alleging her boss was a ‘woman hater’.
Cassandra Cooke, 54, a First Officer with National Jet Express, was sacked on May 26, 2025, over comments she made about Chief Pilot Wayne Ovens.
During a discussion about a medical certificate for a broken toe, Ms Cooke was judged fit to fly but unfit for simulator training, and she was taken off the roster.
It was then Ms Cooke was said to have told Crew Training Coordinator Victoria Portelli that Mr Ovens ‘hates women’ and was ‘clearly having marital problems’ because he was ‘obviously fighting with his wife’.
Another employee, Shannyn Van Heerden, overheard the exchange with Mr Ovens later lodging an internal complaint with the airline.
National Jet Express launched a formal investigation, which found that Ms Cooke had breached its Harassment, Discrimination and Workplace Bullying Policy.
The experienced pilot, the sole provider for her family, was sacked.
However, the Fair Work Commission Deputy President didn’t buy her explanation and found the witnesses credible and the misconduct proven.
National Jet Express Chief Pilot Wayne Ovens is described by the airline as well-regarded
The Commission found inconsistencies in how National Jet Express dealt with disciplinary action and investigations
While the Commission acknowledged a valid reason to dismiss her, it deemed the punishment harsh, citing Ms Cooke’s age, 27 years of service, and the financial impact on her as the family’s sole provider.
The airline’s immediate launch of a formal investigation into Ms Cooke was found to be inconsistent with past practice
In a previous incident, Ms Cooke complained that Mr Ovens used profane and misogynistic language during a simulator session, telling her to ‘shut that f****** barking b**** up’.
Following that incident, the matter was dealt with informally, with no investigation and no disciplinary action against the senior pilot, while Mr Ovens’ complaint prompted a full investigation and Ms Cooke’s dismissal.
That inconsistency influenced the commission’s decision, which found her sacking disproportionate before ordering Ms Cooke to be reinstated.
It wasn’t all good news for Ms Cooke, however: the commissioner declined to award back pay for the months she was out of work.
‘I do not consider it appropriate, in the circumstances of the present matter, to put the Applicant into a position where she has suffered nothing out of this exercise,’ he said.
‘By not making an order for the restoration of lost pay, a very clear message is given to the Applicant as to the consequences that flow from her own conduct.’
National Jet Express will not have to back pay Ms Cooke in what was its only win in the case
National Jet Express celebrated 35 years of air services to the Australian resources industry in 2025.
The airline describes Mr Ovens on its website as ‘a highly accomplished professional pilot with a distinguished career spanning military service’.
It also says the pilot is ‘well-regarded for his appreciation of the dynamic nature of his work, which involves collaborating with a diverse range of individuals’.
Daily Mail has contacted National Jet Express for comment.
