The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not implemented an effective method of ensuring that general aviation pilots who use an alternative to the standard medical certification process are meeting all eligibility requirements, a government watchdog agency says.
A report by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) says the FAA has no way of confirming that the more than 55,000 pilots in the BasicMed program meet two conditions: that they have a valid U.S. driver’s license and that their medical examinations are conducted by state-licensed physicians.
The BasicMed program was established under a 2017 rule aimed at allowing some general aviation pilots to follow an alternative path to medical certification instead of undergoing regular physical exams by aviation medical examiners. The program calls for participating pilots to have a valid U.S. driver’s license, to undergo a medical exam by a state-licensed physician within the previous 48 mo…
