Pilots May Have Flown While on Disability Pay

July 19, 2005

Probe leads to 40 arrests. Suspects kept active licenses while

reporting serious medical issues.

From Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — An 18-month investigation has resulted in the arrests

of 40 Northern California pilots who may have been flying while

reportedly afflicted with debilitating illnesses that should have

kept them grounded, the U.S. attorney's office said Monday.

The pilots were receiving disability payments for serious medical

conditions while maintaining active pilot's licenses, authorities

allege.

All the pilots, including commercial and transport pilots, claimed to

be medically fit to fly while they were also collecting disability

payments from the Social Security Administration, said Marlon Cobar,

a prosecutor with the U.S. attorney's office in Fresno.

Illnesses reported ranged from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to

drug and alcohol addiction and heart conditions — all of which would

disqualify them from holding a medical certificate required to

maintain a valid pilot's license.

Other pilots not yet charged were found to be lying about having

illnesses to collect the Social Security payments, Cobar said.

Cobar said the review of 40,000 pilots began in July 2003 as

a " homeland security project " to look into the fraudulent use of

Social Security numbers. When dozens of names turned up in both

Social Security and Federal Aviation Administration rolls, " they

realized there was probably criminal wrongdoing — either lying to the

FAA or wrongfully receiving benefits. "

After the review of 40,000 pilots, the FAA immediately revoked

licenses and medical certificates of 14 pilots, the U.S. attorney's

office said. Others were referred for administrative revocation.

" We chose the most egregious, " Cobar said. " You can't really fly a

plane if you're telling the Social Security Administration you have a

disabling back condition or bipolar disorder. "

FAA spokesman Donn said it was unclear how many of the pilots

flew for a living, but that at least a dozen held commercial or

airline transport licenses.

Thirty pilots are charged with making false statements to a

government agency, and 10 are charged with making and delivering a

false official writing.

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