Was your FAA medical application due to a DUI on your record? When a FAA medical application is deferred due to a DUI, your aviation medical examiner (“AME”) cannot issue you a medical “on the spot.” Instead, your AME has to send your file directly to the FAA (either your regional flight surgeon or the AMCD in Oklahoma City) to determine if you can be issued a medical certificate. Careful planning prior to submitting a medical application to the FAA can sometimes prevent your FAA medical application from being deferred due to a DUI. In other cases, however, a deferral cannot be avoided when you have a DUI on your record.
If during your DUI event you had a BAC of below 0.15%, by providing detailed information about the DUI to the AME, you may be able to prevent a deferral to the FAA. In cases where your BAC was above 0.15%, your medical application will almost always be deferred to the FAA. Additionally, if you have had more than one DUI in your lifetime, your medical application is going to be deferred to the FAA. Nevertheless, in these cases, with proper documentation, attention to detail, and carefully following FAA policy, a FAA medical certificate or “special issuance” authorization can still be obtained. It is important to know that if your FAA medical application was deferred due to a DUI, you still have options to establish your eligibility for medical certification.
If you think your FAA medical application is going to be deferred due to a DUI or if your FAA medical application was deferred due to a DUI, call the FAA defense attorney at The Ison Law Firm to discuss a plan to avoid or fight the deferral.
*The Ison Law Firm does not provide medical advice, but counsels clients on FAA policies.