Letter of Warning and working at a major.

[AV80R]

... The Letter of Warning is the least action that the FAA can take to close their file. If the Captain indicates something less than a "compliance oriented attitude" the LOW can become a "Letter of Correction" which is a finding of a violation. Of course that is a possible trigger for Certificate Action...

I agree with almost everything you say with few clarifications. The "least action" the FAA can take is to simply close an investigation without a reprimand - happens quite often actually. (you should still answer YES to the question "have you ever been investigated?" - after all, there has been an investigation involved in determining a possible violation – many will disagree with me on this but I’ve been told by J. Ryan (OKC FSDO) that technically there’s an investigation involved even if the investigation is closed.)

Also, a letter of warning (or actually the term they use is “notice of warning") is put squarely on the pilot's shoulders. Letter of correction on the other hand can also be used if the FAA thinks the other pilots at that particular airline might learn something by some additional ground school regarding that specific incident. Then there might be an hour or two of ground school involving a specific subject. Many times the "offender" ends up "teaching" the subject to others. Usually both LOWs and LOCs stay on one's record for 2 years.

I've seen several different investigation scenarios at my previous gig when we did newhire background checks; each time it turned out to be no big deal at all for the person involved if he/she treated it with honesty and with integrity.

 

[~~~^~~~]

You are correct and allow me this observation on your clarification....

After two years, check with your airline's HR Dept. to see what is in your file. At many airlines the secretarys have been told not to destroy the LOW. So even though the FAA has removed the letter, the airline may keep a copy and send it out as part of a PRIA response. If a pilot wants the letter gone, they will often have to track it down and ask management to remove it from their file. Many regional airlines fail to purge HR records correctly.

AV8R is correct that an investigation can be launched without a FAA LOW. I had an in flight emergency and it showed up when I did a background check on myself prior to interviewing. The FAA Airworthiness Investigator complimented my actions as PIC, so it wasn't a bad thing to have come up on an interview.

Best policy is to be honest and to help you be accurate it is an excellent idea to do a background search on yourself before your interview.

You should have no problem.

 

[Travis Jr]

I got one about three years ago for an altitude deviation. Honesty is always the best policy.

I just interviewed and got hired by a major airline and was asked to explain it during the interview. No big deal really and although it goes away after two years, the applications that I filled out during my job search asked if I had ever received a violation, letter, etc...

Be honest and it shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[Furloughed80]

After two years, check with your airline's HR Dept. to see what is in your file. At many airlines the secretarys have been told not to destroy the LOW. So even though the FAA has removed the letter, the airline may keep a copy and send it out as part of a PRIA response. If a pilot wants the letter gone, they will often have to track it down and ask management to remove it from their file. Many regional airlines fail to purge HR records correctly.

I thought airlines were not allowed to collect and retain administrative actions resulting from submitting an ASAP report?

 

[AV80R]

I thought airlines were not allowed to collect and retain administrative actions resulting from submitting an ASAP report?

Correct, letters of warnings etc are usually found in the FAA database where they get expunged automatically after 2 years (or less if the letter states that). The airlines however collect investigative reports, etc. and sometimes they put a copy of the LOW in a person's file. It is a good idea to make sure those files are removed once expired.

 

[whatitdoing?]

Not true......LOW's issued under ASAP are under another file viewed only by the FAA. PRIA requests DON'T disclose any information inside the ASAP file. That's the whole point of ASAP.....

 

[whatitdoing?]

and if the company disclosed a LOW to another employer under the protection of ASAP.......you'd have a lawsuit.

 

[AV80R]

Not true......LOW's issued under ASAP are under another file viewed only by the FAA. PRIA requests DON'T disclose any information inside the ASAP file. That's the whole point of ASAP.....

Why don't you contact the person in charge of PRIA records - John A. Ryan at OKC FSDO, you'll see that your information is incorrect...

ASAP is a way for the pilots to come forward with information that otherwise they'd be tempted to withold - this way we can all learn from others mistakes.

Usually, the "punishment" is much less seviere than it'd have been otherwise. If a LOW is issued however, whether it's through the ASAP program or not, it becomes a regular LOW thus it will show in a PRIA search. At one of my previous airlines we were told during training that ASAP participants would not have "anything on their records - LOW or not" - I pointed out to my former company that in the past when I worked in the safety department at another airline I noticed that statement to be incorrect. So they checked it with the FAA and now they don't claim this anymore.

In other words, there are no LOWs that are somehow 'marked' as non-reportable just because the offender participated in the ASAP program. These are regular LOWs that for the most part will be on a person's record for 2 years or less.

 

[bigsky]

I had a warning letter for flying with a friend, in a plane he rented. The FBO had a temp registration, and it had expired, anyways as highest rated pilot I got the letter. Brought it to their attention at AWA/ And AA interview...when they asked have you ever had any violations....no body seemed concerned and I was hied by both.

 

[whatitdoing?]

AV80R, you're mistaken. First of all, I know you never saw a background check with a LOW or LOC in their file that was protected under ASAP. If you're that guy in the FAA, sure, you can see it. But there's a little note that's right by their history indicating an ASAP protected file. They cannot disclose the information even with a PRIA request. That's the whole point of ASAP. Why the hell would you rat on yourself only to get a less severe punishment? So, you'd tell the FAA about your 400 ft bust in a non-radar environment so as to help educate your comrades....only to get a LOW or LOC in your file? Seems fair right?