Opinion ID: 411856
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: FAA Medical Certification Procedures

Text: 3 Some understanding of the FAA certification procedures is necessary to follow appellant's path through the application process. 3 The Federal Aviation Act directs the Administrator of the FAA to investigate each airman to insure that he possesses proper qualifications for, and is physically able to perform the duties pertaining to, the position for which the airman certificate is sought. 49 U.S.C. Sec. 1422(b). In carrying out this duty, the Administrator requires a pilot to obtain a medical certificate as a condition to the issuance of an airman's certificate (which also certifies aviation skills). The Administrator has delegated, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. Sec. 1344(d), statutory authority pertaining to medical certification to the Federal Air Surgeon. 14 C.F.R. Sec. 67.25 (1982). 4 The FAA issues medical certificates in three classes. The Federal Aviation Regulations set forth in detail the medical standards for each class of certificate. See 14 C.F.R. Secs. 67.13, .15, .17 (1982). A captain of a commercial aircraft must have a first-class medical certificate, and a copilot or flight engineer must have at least a second-class certificate. See id. Secs. 61.3(a), .3(c), .23, .123(c), .139, .151(e), .171, 63.3(a), 121.437(a)-(b). A third-class medical certificate will allow an airman to fly only as a private pilot. See id. Sec. 61.103(c). 5 In most cases, the applicant for a medical certificate begins the process with an examination by a private physician who has been designated by the Air Surgeon to serve as an aviation medical examiner (AME). See id. Sec. 67.23. The AME examines the applicant's medical history and his current condition to determine whether he meets the medical standards set forth in the regulations. If the AME denies the certificate, the applicant has thirty days to petition the Air Surgeon for reconsideration. Id. Sec. 67.27(a). The Air Surgeon will often send an applicant's file to expert consultants prior to making a final decision. A denial by the Air Surgeon or by certain other FAA officials is considered a denial by the Administrator, id. Sec. 67.27(b), and is appealable to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), 49 U.S.C. Sec. 1422(b). 6 An applicant who fails to meet the medical standards may petition the Air Surgeon for a special issue certificate. 14 C.F.R. Sec. 67.19 (1982). In these cases, the regulations give the Air Surgeon discretion to offer a special flight, test, or evaluation to determine whether the airman can perform his duties without endangering safety in air commerce. In acting on a petition for a special issue certificate, the Air Surgeon relies on the recommendation of a panel of consultant medical specialists. At the time of the events in this case, the special issue procedures were not applicable to pilots, copilots, or flight engineers who suffered any of nine disqualifying conditions. Id. Sec. 67.19(d). Certain neurological problems were disqualifying, but a failure to meet the specific neurological standards cited by the Air Surgeon in his denials of appellant's applications, see id. Secs. 67.13(d)(2)(ii), .15(d)(2)(ii), .17(d)(2)(ii), was not. Appellant also does not have normal fields of vision, which are required for a first or second-class certificate, but which have not been an absolute prerequisite to authorization under the special issue procedure. 4 7