Nearly 5,000 pilots licensed to operate in the US are under investigation for allegedly falsifying medical records to hide conditions that could deem them unfit to fly, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The pilots — all military veterans — are accused of intentionally hiding serious health conditions or mental health disorders from the FAA, even though they reported them to other officials to collect disability benefits, The Washington Post reported.
The irregularities were first discovered more than two years ago — with about 4,800 pilots investigated so far and half of those cases closed, FAA spokesman Matthew Lehner said in a statement.
Of those cases, about 60 pilots “posed a clear danger to aviation safety” and were ordered to stop flying while their records were under review, Lehner added.
For the rest whose cases are still open, “the vast majority of these pilots may continue to operate safely while we complete the reconciliation process,” Lehner said.
Of the pilots investigated, about 600 are licensed to fly passenger airlines, with the rest holding commercial licenses allowing their employment by cargo firms and other companies, a senior US official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the outlet.
Scrutiny of pilots hiding their health conditions was renewed in 2015 after Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz crashed his passenger plane into the Alps after seeking treatment for depression and suicidal tendencies. AFP/Getty Images
The horrific crash killed all 150 people on board the flight, with officials combing the French Alps for their bodies. AP
The disclosures have exposed long-criticized methods by which the FAA’s medical system screens pilots while often relying on pilots to self-report their conditions.
Experts say this method incentivizes vets to hide their conditions from the FAA so they can work — while often exaggerating requirements to Veterans Affairs to increase payments and disability coverage.
“There are people out there who I think are trying to play both sides of the game,” Jerome Limoge, an aviation medical examiner in Colorado Springs told the outlet. “They are encouraged by the VA to claim everything. Part of it was the courage that was almost stolen.”
Amid the investigation, the FAA also learned some of its own contracted doctors were advising pilots to hide their conditions, officials said.
A comparison of health records submitted to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the FAA shows that nearly 5,000 veterans have lied on their forms to hide their health conditions.AP
Several health conditions have left the pilots unfit to fly, but many are operating as normal amid the investigation.Getty Images
The FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine has allocated $3.6 million to hire new physicians and staff to review the certification records of pilots under investigation.
The FAA did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for additional information.
Although cases of fraudulent reporting have been known for more than two decades, scrutiny has been renewed worldwide after Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz crashed a passenger plane into the French Alps in 2015.
An investigation found that he had been treated for suicidal tendencies and depression, but hid the condition from his employer.
By 2019, investigators finally had a way to compare FAA data with VA records, with US Inspector General Michael’s office notifying officials of nearly 5,000 troubling cases.
Rick Mangini was barred from flying after an investigation showed he tried to hide his sleep apnea.Rick Mangini/Linkedin
Michael’s office is investigating if any of the pilots flagged in the records sweep should be charged with defrauding the VA, officials told The Washington Post. .
Court records show at least 10 pilots have been indicted on federal charges for lying to the FAA since 2018, including Rick Mangini, 52, a former Army pilot.
Mangini, who was suspended from flying for a cargo company because he failed to disclose his sleep apnea, said that while the oversight needs to be addressed, the current crackdown appears to be targeting veterans only.
“I know many pilots who have told me [medical conditions] they didn’t tell the FAA,” he said of non-veterans. “What are they doing to veterans? That is the definition of harassment.”
About a third of the nation’s 110,000 commercial pilots are those who learned to fly in the military, according to FAA records.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
