Thousands of Pilots Suspected of Hiding Major Health Conditions: Report

Nearly 5,000 pilots are under scrutiny for allegedly telling federal authorities they were healthy enough to fly, while also reaping veterans benefits for mental health conditions that might have otherwise disqualified them from the cockpit, according to The Washington Post. About 600 of the 4,800 pilots under investigation by the Federal Aviation Authority are licensed to fly for passenger airlines, one senior U.S. official told the Post. The majority of the rest hold commercial pilots’ licenses. The agency’s investigation, which began approximately two years ago, involves pilots “who might have submitted incorrect or false information as part of their medical applications,” a spokesperson said. About half of the 4,800 cases have since been closed, the spokesperson added, and the FAA has ordered roughly 60 pilots who “posed a clear danger to aviation safety” to cease flying while their records are reviewed. Doctors and former officials told the Post that many veterans downplay their disabilities to the FAA while hyperbolizing them to Veterans Affairs officials to get the most money they can. “There are people out there who I think are trying to play both sides of the game,” one physician said. “They’re being encouraged by VA to claim everything. Some of it is almost stolen valor.”