Falsification of Applications to FAA

As pilots and lawyers, the attorneys at The Ison Law Firm understand the long hours of studying and training required to obtain a pilot certificate, as well as the amount of money you likely had to spend to achieve certification. Whether flying is your career or hobby, the last thing you want to face is an Enforcement Action from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) due to an allegation that you falsified a required document under the applicable Federal Aviation Regulations.

In situations where the FAA alleges that an airman falsified a document, we often start by referencing the Federal Aviation Regulation located at 14 C.F.R. § 61.59. Therein, the regulation provides that “no person may make or cause to be made any fraudulent or intentionally false statement on any application for a certificate, rating, authorization, or duplicate thereof, issued under this part [61].”

When the FAA makes an allegation of falsification, often the allegations revolve around logbook entries, applications for medical certification (FAA Form 8500-8), applications for airman certification and/or ratings (FAA Form 8710-1), or other reports and records required to be kept, made or used to show compliance. The FAA will often look at those documents to determine whether a fraudulent or intentionally false statement has been made or whether the document has been altered in any way. If the FAA determines that you falsified a required document, § 61.59 provides for the suspension or revocation of any airman certificate, rating, or authorization held by that airman.

Often, where the FAA alleges that an airman made false entries on a document, the FAA will bring an Order of Revocation against the airman seeking to revoke all certificates. In other words, the FAA will try to take away all of the individual’s certificates held with the FAA – airman certificates, ratings, and medical certificates.

If the FAA revokes an airman’s certificate, the airman may not apply for a new airman certificate until the expiration of the revocation period. After the revocation period expires, the airman will have to re-apply and retest for airman certification for all certificates and ratings previously held at the time of revocation.

We understand that the threat of losing your airman and medical certificates due to an allegation of falsification can be a devastating blow to your career or pursuit of happiness in your hobby. The Ison Law Firm is here to provide quality defense representation to those airmen facing the threat of an Enforcement Action or investigation from the FAA due to an allegation of falsification. If you have received a Letter of Investigation (LOI) from the FAA or an Order of Revocation/Suspension, before you say or do anything, call The Pilot Lawyers at The Ison Law Firm to determine the defenses available to you.