"Peter" wrote in message
...

IME the first thing the insurance company checks is that all paperwork
is in order. So, if e.g. the pilot was not licensed to do the flight,
the insurer will walk away from it right away. But if the paperwork is
in order, that is OK so far. I can't see them walking away from it
because the originals were at home at the time. The CofA is just as
valid, the pilot has still got the same license/rating.

You can't see an insurer walking away? I would think they'd take any
opportunity to avoid payment. I once read (in a well respected aviation
publication, either AOPA Pilot or Aviation Consumer) about a 172 that hit a
deer on landing and the insurance company refused to pay because the pilot
had failed to disconnect the cigarette lighter! The point was that there
was an AD out requiring the cigarette lighter to be disconnected or a fuse
installed. Because the AD had not been complied with, the flight was in
violation of FARs and the insurance was not valid. I am pretty sure that
held up. So why would you think that an insurer would ignore something like
required documents not being carried?

In the totalitarian communist countries an adult had to carry an
internal passport / ID document, and if this was not carried, and he
got stopped and checked, he'd be locked up until somebody produced the
documents. I don't think the USA, or any other western country would
do this.

How about the Denver woman who was arrested for failing to produce ID when a
cop asked her to do so on a public bus? More details he
http://papersplease.org/davis/