Reporting DUI
 

Does anyone have experience with reporting to the FAA that they received a DUI (driving under the influence). I'm curious what response and or actions you received from the FAA.

The criteria the Aviation Medical Examiner must use are described on the FAA website.


Application Process for Medical Certification

Applicant History - Item 18. Medical History
v. History of Arrest(s), Conviction(s) and/or Administrative Action(s)
Arrest(s), conviction(s) and/or administrative action(s) affecting driving privileges may raise questions about the applicant's fitness for certification and may be cause for disqualification. (See Items 18.n. and 47). A single driving while intoxicated (DWI) arrest, conviction and/or administrative action usually is not cause for denial provided there are no other instances or indications of substance dependence or abuse.

The events to be reported are specifically identified in Item 18.v. of FAA Form 8500-8. If yes is checked, the applicant must describe the arrest(s), conviction(s), and/or administrative action(s) in the EXPLANATIONS box. The description must include:

• The alcohol or drug offense for which the applicant was arrested, convicted, or the type of administrative action involved (e.g., attendance at an educational or rehabilitation program in lieu of conviction; license denial, suspension, cancellation, or revocation for refusal to be tested; educational safe driving program for multiple speeding convictions; etc.);
• The name of the state or other jurisdiction involved; and
• The date of the arrest, conviction, and/or administrative action

Note: If the applicant documented ALL of the above information on previous exams AND there are no new arrest(s), conviction(s), and/or administrative action(s) since the last application, the applicant may enter PREVIOUSLY REPORTED, NO CHANGE.

For all first-time reports of arrest(s), conviction(s), and/or administrative action(s) the Examiner must do the following prior to issuing an airman medical certificate:

• Obtain a detailed history of the applicant's alcohol use, the circumstances surrounding all alcohol-related incidents (include those reported in 18v and any others that may have occurred)
• Obtain copies of all court records and arrest reports related to the event(s) if the incident(s) occurred within the 5 years prior to the exam. This includes copies of relevant military records if the incidents occurred while the applicant was a member of the U.S. armed forces (includes military court records, records of non-judicial punishment, and military substance abuse records)
• Document those findings in Item 60. (See Item 47)
• Forward the court records, arrest reports, and any military records to AMCD
• Advise the applicant that the reporting of alcohol or drug offenses (i.e., motor vehicle violation) on the history part of the medical application does not relieve the airman of responsibility to report each motor vehicle action to the FAA within 60 days of the occurrence to the:

Security and Investigations DivisionAMC-700P.O. Box 25810Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0810
Deferral Criteria:
The Examiner must defer certification for any of the following:

• Inability to obtain and review the court and arrest records within 14 days of the date of the exam
• For the alcohol- or drug-related driving incidents:
  • Any arrest, conviction, and/or administrative action for which the applicant registers a blood alcohol level 0.15 or higher
  • Any arrest, conviction, and/or administrative action for which the applicant refused blood alcohol testing
  • Any arrest, conviction, and/or administrative action within the preceding 2 years AND THERE HAS BEEN ANOTHER arrest, conviction and/or administrative action AT ANY OTHER TIME
  • Total of 3 arrest(s), conviction(s), and/or administrative action(s) within a lifetime
  • Total of 2 arrest(s), conviction(s), and/or administrative action(s) within the preceding 10 years

If the applicant is deferred, the FAA will require the applicant to:

• Provide:
  • A detailed personal statement regarding his/her past and present patterns of alcohol or drug use
  • A complete copy of his/her current driving record in any state that he/she has held a driver's license in the last 10 years
  • Copies of any court records and arrest reports related to the event(s) that have not already been provided to the AME. This includes copies of relevant military records if any event(s) occurred while the applicant was a member of the U.S. armed forces. "Relevant military records" means military court records, records of non-judicial punishment, and military substance abuse records
• Obtain:
  • A substance abuse evaluation from an addictionologist or addiction psychologist/ psychiatrist familiar with aviation standards.

Issue Criteria:
The Examiner may issue if:

• NONE of the Deferral Criteria above are met
• For reported incident(s) when the most recent incident occurred more than 5 years prior to the exam, based on the exam and a detailed interview, the Examiner determines the applicant's history does not indicate a possible substance abuse or dependence problem
• For reported incident(s) when the most recent incident occurred within the preceding 5 years of the exam, based on the exam, detailed interview AND review of the court record(s) and arrest report(s), the Examiner determines the applicant's history does not indicate a possible substance abuse or dependence problem

Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners

More critical is the requirement to report it to the Civil Aviation Security Division within 60 days. Failure to do so is grounds for suspension or revocation of you airman certificate.

Useful AOPA USA article here about the nature of the reporting requirement, which is quite stringent. The bottom line: the FAA monitors this stuff very closely and is going to find out anyway, so there's no point in trying to conceal it.


Offenses Involving Alcohol and Drugs: Key Points and Misconceptions

Many pilots suffer FAA penalties for failure to report "motor vehicle actions" involving drinking (or drug use) and driving under FAR 61.15. The most confusing part of this regulation relates to being stopped while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and having your driver's license suspended or revoked. You must report any of the following motor vehicle actions (if they occurred after November 29, 1990) within 60 days of that action:

• Conviction of any federal or state law relating to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs;
• Cancellation, suspension, or revocation of your driver's license for driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol; and
• Denial of a driver's license for cause related to operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol.
• Failure of or refusal to take a breathalyzer test, if it resulted in a driver's license suspension.

Conviction is obvious, but "cancellation, suspension or revocation" of a driver's license causes much confusion. It doesn't matter if your arrest charges are later dismissed or pled down to a lesser charge. If your driver's license was suspended for an alcohol or drug action in any form, you must report it to the FAA Internal Security and Investigation Division within 60 days.


Your attorney may advise you that a report to the FAA is not required because the case was dismissed, or because the charge was plea-bargained to reckless driving. This is NOT correct. If your driver's license is suspended, even for only a few hours, canceled, or revoked, you must file a report.


Some states have automatic suspension laws if, for example, you refuse to take a breathalyzer test for alcohol. In other states, a police officer may physically confiscate your driver's license at the time of arrest. Some states may require a court hearing or court order. Whatever the mechanism, the result is the same: If your license is suspended, you must report it to the FAA within 60 days.


There may be times when you have to make two (or more) reports to FAA as a result of a single motor vehicle violation involving alcohol or drugs. For instance, if your driver's license is first suspended, then you are convicted of driving impaired, two notifications are required. The first report is required when your driver's license is suspended; the second one because you were later convicted of the charge that resulted in the suspension of your license in the first place. This may sound like double jeopardy because more than one notification is required, but it's not. Notifications are required because of the way the law was written, but the FAA will not assess any additional penalty if all the notifications arise out of the same arrest.


These reports are entirely separate from the question on the FAA airman medical application (item 18v), which asks about alcohol-related motor vehicle actions. Answering that question on your next medical application does not satisfy FAR 61.15, and reporting under 61.15 does not satisfy the requirement for reporting on your next medical.
Key Points and Misconceptions About FAR 61.15

• A suspension of your driver's license for refusing an alcohol test (e.g., "Breathalyzer Test") is a reportable motor vehicle action, whether you've actually been drinking or not.
• If a state in which you do not hold a driver's license suspends your driving privileges for an alcohol-related driving offense, then it is a reportable motor vehicle action.
• If the alcohol-related driving charges are eventually dropped, you are still obligated to file a report if your driver's license was suspended. The potential problem is that many pilots won't submit the report because their attorney has said "don't report anything because the charges have been dropped."
• If you want to verify the existence of a record for an alcohol-related driving offense/conviction, you can contact both your state motor vehicle administration and the National Driver Register (NDR). Start by calling your local Division of Motor Vehicles office for information on how to access those records.
• If you are arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol but are convicted of reckless driving, the conviction is a reportable motor vehicle action. The key point here is that it's reportable if the conviction was the result of being charged with an "alcohol related" driving offense.
• Reporting a motor vehicle action (as defined in FAR 61.15) on the medical application does not satisfy the reporting requirements under 61.15 and vice versa.
• A student pilot who has not soloed still holds an airman certificate under FAR 61.15.
• The typical penalty for failure to report a motor vehicle action per 61.15 is a 30-day suspension of the airman certificate, unless there are mitigating circumstances.
• The report required by 61.15 should be sent certified mail with a return receipt but can also be faxed to the FAA at 405/954 4948.
• If you miss the 60-day reporting deadline but have not yet applied for a new medical certificate, by all means, make the report, even if it is late. The FAA will issue only an administrative action (letter of reprimand), but in most cases, there will be no civil penalty nor will there be any action taken against your pilot certificate.
• If you have a suspension and conviction arising out of the same incident, you will not be penalized for having two motor vehicle actions within three years. It's important to note that even if there is a suspension and conviction arising out of the same set of factual circumstances, you still must file a report for the suspension and the conviction.
• Pilots must comply with 61.15 even if they were not actively flying at the time of the action.
• The FAA discovers violations of 61.15 through the National Driver Register (NDR). When you sign the medical application, you are authorizing the FAA to take a one-time look at your state driving and NDR records. The FAA checks ALL medical applications against both the Internal Security and Investigation Division records and the NDR records.

Alcohol/Drug Reporting Misconceptions - AOPA