LAKE IN THE HILLS – A pilot fired more than three years ago will be reinstated and paid more than $500,000 after investigators determined he was illegally terminated from the Lake in the Hills-based Northern Illinois Flight Center, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration found officials at the flight center broke the law in the spring of 2009 when they dismissed an Illinois pilot because he contacted the Federal Aviation Administration to discuss violations of the pilot certification process, according to news release.

The violations revolve around whistleblower protection provisions in the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21^st Century, the news release states. OSHA has ordered the company to immediately reinstate the employee and pay more than $500,000 in back wages, benefits and damages.