A Frenchman who inadvertantly caused a bomb scare last weekend aboard an international flight that was diverted to Gander, N.L., has been ordered to pay nearly $40,000 in penalties.

Patrick Minot, 52, of Boissise-le-Roi, France, pleaded guilty in provincial court on Wednesday to two counts of mischief. He was fined $10,000, and ordered to pay $22,000 in restitution to American Airlines as well as about $8,000 in fees related to the unscheduled landing.

Minot was on a flight from Paris to Boston on Saturday, when he used putty to stick a GPS device to the inside wall of the plane, then refused to hand it over to airline crew when other passengers became nervous.

The plane was diverted to Gander where Minot was arrested and charged under the Criminal Code and the Aeronautics Act.

On Wednesday, Minot told the court that he was experimenting with a product that his company maunfactures. It records speed, mileage and fuel consumption from vehicles and airplanes, and measures CO2 emissions.

But crew and passengers worried the device and the putty could be a bomb.

He told CBC News that he's been travelling a lot this summer to promote his company's newest product, and he decided to test it during the flight.

"Because it was a business trip," he said, "to make a workshop with these devices, and I was so happy, I was thinking only about that and I forgot this atmosphere."

Minot said he stopped using the device when the flight attendant asked, and that he had no idea there was a problem until the plane landed in Gander and he was arrested. He spent 72 hours in jail.

His sentence also included seven days, which the court deemed had already been served during his time on remand.

Minot, a marathon runner and a father of three, apologized and said the experience has shown him just how cautious airlines have become.

"I really understand, after these hours spent in my cell, I really understand the pressure," he said.

Minot is now free and plans to travel to France Thursday.