A former airport employee who admitted breaking into a plane sparking a major security scare has been sentenced to two weeks imprisonment and fined.

Lorenzo Lottimore, 31, pleaded guilty to trespassing at L.F. Wade International Aircraft and illegally boarding an aircraft on September 28.

According to Crown counsel Cindy Clarke, security staff saw a silver ladder on an American Airways plane at around 3.35 a.m. that day. When they investigated, they recognised Lottimore who had worked at the airport as a mechanic for several years.

Asked what he was doing, Lottimore said: "S**t happens," and walked away.

As a result of the incident, Police, firefighters and the bomb squad spent hours searching the plane, delaying two AA flights.

Lottimore was arrested in his Sandys home and when questioned he told Police he was attempting to look at the plane's instrument approach plate, which contains information intended to help the pilot land the plane.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was held in custody until his sentencing hearing, last Friday.

Phil Perinchief, representing Lottimore, told Magistrate's Court that his client had a clean record, and asked for Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner to issue a sentence that wouldn't destroy his dreams of becoming a commercial pilot.

While he said the results of a psychological assessment put him at a low risk of reoffending, Mr. Warner expressed concern that the motivation for the incident was still unclear.

"We know, what he told the courts, and we know he suffered from some emotional circumstances to do with a recent break-up. However, the report writer seems to suggest that he had some difficulty as to the reasons."

While Mr. Perinchief called for the court to consider a conditional discharge, Mr. Warner responded: "At the end of the day, this is a serious offence and the security and safety of the public is paramount. He cannot escape a criminal conviction and a custodial sentence."

Mr. Warner sentenced Lottimore to time already served in prison and issued a $1,000 fine for trespassing and an additional $200 fine for the charge of illegally boarding a plane.

He also put Lottimore on one-year probation with the condition of receiving all psychiatric and psychological treatment required.