Help! Certified Letter from the FAA!

[GEUAviator]

So, I come home from work tonight to discover a slip from the postal service on my door. It's a receipt for a certified letter from the FAA!

Needless to say, I'm stressed. The post office is closed right now, so I must wait until tomorrow to pick it up.

Any thoughts what it might be?

I've never been in trouble with a ATC, and I've never been told to "call the tower".

I'm a first officer officer with a regional airline. If I was in trouble, wouldn't I have heard something from my employer? I also have instructor ratings and haven't instructed in almost a year.

Anyone with experience in certified letters? Please put my mind at ease!

Thanks,
GEUAviator

 

[Betelnut]

Do you have the AOPAs legal svc? If you do call them when you read the letter.

Good Luck.

 

[RideTheWind]

Have a few beers and forget a boutit.

 

[KPTPK]

I think a person would know if he/she f'd up while flying. If it was that bad I'd think your employer would know before you. Good luck at the PO tomorrow.

 

[KeroseneSnorter]

Sounds like maybe something was snagged by the FAA in their normal 121 record sweeps. Manifest problem etc?

If it deals with your 121 job, call ALPA legal.

Could be anything, don't freak until you read the letter. May not involve you at all, they may be sniffing at one of the Captians that you flew with, or questions on an ASR report.(Careful, call ALPA on that before submitting info.)

As to the company knowing? Most airlines will self-disclose a potential violation if it could mean hefty fines. In that case normally it is a "sorry we screwed up unintentionally and we promise to not do it again" I have never had one of those but a guy from my class did. He got a "don't do that again letter" and that was it. I think it involved an improperly signed off MEL, so everyone involved got a letter, Pilots, Mechanic, Dispatcher, since all were responsible for ensuring MEL compliance.

 

[habubuaza]

Don't answer it. As a matter of fact let it go back to them. Act like you never received it. Don't even go to the post office.

 

[Wankel7]

Wow ! Time to do ANYTHING to take your mind off of it.

Wankel

 

[Chi Town]

I got a letter about two weeks before I started training at my current employer... It was a random audit of CFI's in the FSDO concerning pass rates and endorsements. I had a 90% pass rate and told them I hadn't instructed in 6 months and they said good luck in class. I wouldn't stress unitl you see the letter! Keep us posted and good luck!

Also... the above are correct. If it has do do with work call ALPA and if it is bad news with part 91 stuff call AOPA.

 

[avbug]

If this were a criminal or a civil matter, you might be better off letting the letter go back. In this case, signing for it costs you nothing. Responding to it might, but receiving it won't hurt you a bit.

The FAA usually certifies a letter to make it an official act; it's not a method used to send casual or regular business correspondence. However, without anything to go on, speculation as to the contents is pointless.

Don't think that the FAA need notify you that you are being investigated, prior to arrival of the official notice. In other words, ATC does not always tell you to call center, or call tower, or notify you that your actions have been forwarded for investigation. That notice will come in the form of a letter of investigation, to which you are given ten days to respond. Generally, you should seek legal counsel before drafting or providing a response, and generally you are advised not to respond.

In civil court, by denying that youv'e been served notice, you can obtain legal consideration. I experienced that once when a Landlord signed for legal notice. I stated to the court that I had not received notice, and the judge saw it was so by reading the signature of the landlady on the return slip. The case was tossed on that alone, as the judge felt the DA had been remiss in his preparation; he was told to move on to the next case.

In administrative law, you're already guilty; your chance to prove innocent only comes on appeal. A letter of investigation will alert you to to a potential violation, and advise you that you have ten days to submit any comments on your behalf. You need to be aware that if this is what you receive, you're not in the position of defending yourself; anything you submit is received expressely for the purpose of being used against you. What pilots do most often when they respond to a LOI is to provide evidence that the Administrator will use against them during the appeal process before an adminstrative law judge.

If you are offered notice of an investigation, your best bet is to contact an attorney who handles aviation law. Don't reply to anything, or talk to anyone until that point.

At this stage, you have no evidence and no reason to believe that you are being investigated. Wait until you see the letter.

 

[Propsfullfwd]

Had a friend get one that is at a 121 major... Turns out that the DE that gave him is A&P was able to be bought. All the people that the DE gave tickets too had to meet with the FAA and retest. They gave him a month or so to study and retest. He has had his A&P for 7 to 10 years. I have not talked to him since I found this out. Good luck with it.

Props

If you want let us know what it is about.

 

[GravityHater]

Sign for it, but sign an illegible scrawl that does not represent your normal signature. (the postie won' t give a flying flip)
I once got a letter about my allergies, "Now doan be takin no Sinutab before flight...." I think it came from the FAA directly.

 

[trip]

I recieved a letter out of the blue once and similiar to the post by props above one of my DE's that did my commercial M.E. and S.E. got into some trouble and was being chased down by the feds. Long story short I picked up the phone and called them the next day, they explained the deal and asked if I would take a S.E. ckeckride with one of the Feds at the local office. Called our 135 POI and he came out, we logged about an hour in the 152 and he wrote me a new ticket. Have not heard anything since and its been about 8yrs.

I have allways disclosed it on apps and end up explaining it to the interviewers but it makes for a interesting story anyway.

Your mileage may differ!

 

[Vavso]

same deal here ...

got a letter from faa they were investigating the school where I got my IFR and made 24 of us do a 709 ride Non precision app with circle to land we alll did fine but it still was stressful . That 709 ride never even appears in my FAA file ??? Good luck youll be fine I am sure ! vavso

 

[TundraT]

Failure to sign for the letter or "never received it" is no excuse. Remember you are dealing with adminstrated law not criminal law. A friend always used his mom's address for his home of record but when he was employed around the country the medicals he took would have his current residence. Well to make a long story short...he was send numerous letters by the FAA to his medical address while he changed several jobs and traveled out of the country for overseas jobs. When he returned to the US his mail caught up with him. The FAA had suspended his license and during the mail writing campaign he had received 3 additional ratings. The FAA took them back. On the bright side he got a lawyer and he was able to keep his ratings but was given a 30 day suspension and no civil penalty. The moral of this story...pickup your mail and pray you sent out a NASA report.

 

[pilotyip]

Violation of FAR's

You are required by the FAR's Part 61 to have an address where the FAA can send a registered letter. If you fail to receive the letter, you could be hit with a violation. Recommendation, pick up the letter, see what it is, and then contact someone to help you if you have problem.

 

[FN FAL]

You are required by the FAR's Part 61 to have an address where the FAA can send a registered letter. If you fail to receive the letter, you could be hit with a violation. Recommendation, pick up the letter, see what it is, and then contact someone to help you if you have problem.

Damb...your response makes too much sense, yip.

Yea, I'd wait and see if not opening the letter was going to net me more trouble...and sit around for the next six months waiting to find what the letter said.

Open letter, read letter, maybe feel better after reading letter...if not feeling better after reading letter, get legal counsel and start working on your defens. Defens is cheaper when they only have one matter that needs resolving.

Works for me.

 

[bobbysamd]

Letter from the fed

Even though admin law differs from civil or criminal law, you still should cooperate and not evade service. You will still have to deal with the situation, eventually, and a cooperative attitude, to a point, will help you. Therefore, get the letter, open it and read it.

At that point, do not rush. The letter might demand your presence at the FSDO at such-and-such time, etc. You are entitled to representation, so, as suggested above, call your union, AOPA or an aviation lawyer and obtain representation. Aviation attorneys have ways that you don't to forestall your appearance until you are prepared.

Of course, it is not known what is the FAA's beef with you, but dealing with it is one time you need legal representation. Good luck with your situation.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

You are required by the FAR's Part 61 to have an address where the FAA can send a registered letter. If you fail to receive the letter, you could be hit with a violation. Recommendation, pick up the letter, see what it is, and then contact someone to help you if you have problem.

Yeah, be a man and deal with it! And let us know whats it all about?

 

[Wankel7]

Just find the girl in Trip's avatar and take it from there

 

[eddie]

I knew a captain who received one of these. It was a letter of investigation. The FAA had audited the tower records and discovered that this crew had done an abort for the flash of a red panel light. By the time they were off the runway, the light was off so they taxied back and took off. The FAA said they should have returned to the gate and noted the abort and light in the log book (even though they coudn't tell what light it was)...the captain had the letter of investigation on file for two years. No violation, just some stress. If I remember right, the company found out about the investigation about the same time the pilot did.


Did you find out yet? Good luck.

 

[sky37d]

Just find the girl in Trip's avatar and take it from there

Yeah!!

 

[SloDoDriver]

I wouldn't worry too much.....You wouldn't be on your airlines' schedule if it was a major violation....Not signing for the letter....right, like any of us could ignore it and not find out what it is about....You will be fine and of course consult your ALPA rep if there is an issue, BEFORE talking to the Feds....AND please do update us on what it is!!!!!

 

[RipCurl]

So what's the verdict?

 

[gear_guy]

I got a call about 5 days after Sept. 11 from the FAA and the FBI. Talk about freakin out! Anyway, they wanted a list of all my students for the previous two years. Apparently some of them were in question by the feds. I provided the list and was never contacted again.