Nearly 5,000 Pilots Suspected Of Hiding Disqualifying Health Issues: FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration has launched an investigation into nearly 5,000 pilots who may have falsified their medical records, the Washington Post reported.

The pilots, who are all military veterans, are accused of claiming they were healthy enough to operate a commercial aircraft while claiming veterans benefits for disabilities or health conditions that would disqualify them from flying.

While the investigation was launched two years ago after the Department of Veterans Affairs discovered issues while cross-checking federal databases, most of the pilots continue to fly.

FAA spokesman Matthew Lehner told the Post that they have reviewed about half of the total cases and suspended 60 pilots who "posed a clear danger to aviation safety."

"The FAA used a risk-based approach to identify veterans whose medical conditions posed the greatest risk to safety and instructed them to cease flying while the agency reviews their cases," Lehner said in a statement. "The vast majority of these pilots may continue to operate safely while we complete the reconciliation process."

The VA inspector general's office is also investigating the pilots to determine if they should face criminal charges.

"Given the serious safety issues involved with flying commercial airplanes, and to promote the proper use of significant taxpayer dollars, we have been proactively reviewing certain VA disability benefits paid to commercial pilots based on conditions that may be disqualifying if true," Inspector General Michael Missal said in an email.