“I knew a licensed A and P that never got any pilot ratings, “
There is a difference between a license and a rating.
He never got a pilot license, and therefore no pilot ratings. Surprisingly, no one ever turned him in (that I know of), and several local instructors knew his status.
I grew up flying out of cow pastures and hayfields with my dad; tree lines, power lines, up hill, down hill, side hill.
He hit cow with a cessna 310K on a night landing rollout. Grass strip in a harvested cornfield. Fortunately, he was almost stopped. One blade on the right prop was slightly bent. Prop shop had him back in business two days later.
His best brood cow lost her tail, but worse had a back leg tendon cut. She became hamburger for us.