Form 8500-8

U

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This question is for the AMEs or anyone else who has been through what I am about to describe. At my last FAA physical I reported a serious condition that had kept me grounded for a couple of years . I got my medical certificate back and all is well . It is now time to take my physical again and I realized that I forgot to report the routine visits to my family Doctor for the past 3 years . In the past I had always reported all the routine stuff even though my AME told me it wasnt really required . I know policies have changed and I am wondering if I should report it now or (If the FAA is gonna make a deal out of it) just let it go . Once again , this was routine stuff that would have nothing to do with obtaining a medical certificate and consisted of 3 visits over the past 3 years.
Thanks
 
I'm not an expert on this area, but my gut feel is you need to contact an aviation attorney to approach the FAA for you and negotiate a deal, and to do so quickly. To "just let it go" would, I think, be a big mistake, because if they catch it before you 'fess up, revocation of all your FAA certificates will be the least they'll do, and criminal action is theoretically possible.
 
Maybe I'm reading it wrong but it seems like the OP said that the visits that were unreported were just routine visits.
 
If the visits were unrelated to the issue that grounded the pilot, I'd think the absence of that information would be moot. But, in the interest of full-disclosure surrounding the grounding issue it might have been good to disclose them.

I would think the originating AME having a good relationship and communication with the Aeromedical Branch could help smooth this over. I'm just guessing but if they saw it presented by an attorney, it might be viewed as establishing defense rather than a tactful relay of information.
 
If you are ABSOLUTELY certain that the omitted visits are not relevant to the Special Issuance or the formerly grounding condition, I would just report the ones in the preceeding 3 years and get on with it. I'd also ask your particular AME BEFORE you touch the form.

MedXpress now has a trapdoor, there isn't anything you can put on an electronic 8500-8 that an AME cannot remove. But many AMEs don't know about it.
 
bbchien said:
If you are ABSOLUTELY certain that the omitted visits are not relevant to the Special Issuance or the formerly grounding condition, I would just report the ones in the preceeding 3 years and get on with it. I'd also ask your particular AME BEFORE you touch the form.

MedXpress now has a trapdoor, there isn't anything you can put on an electronic 8500-8 that an AME cannot remove. But many AMEs don't know about it.
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Doc, Would it then be a good idea to stick with strictly paper applications until talking with the AME?

Edit: In staying consistent with what I've preached before and with Bruce's statement below, stick with paper over the Med Xpress but NOT UNTIL you first consult with a "Senior AME" or one who clearly has a reputation for looking out for his patient's best interest during the application.
 
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Thanks for the responses from all of you. The visits were for an eye irritaion (that went away on its own), a boil, and one visit that involved a sore elbow (Was told to ice it and take it easy for awhile, which I did and it went away ) and removing a spot on my arm (About a 1/4 inch in diameter that was frozen off ) and the last visit was for a boil. These visits were totally unrelated to my grounding condition which was fully disclosed with all the supporting documentation. Ill talk it over with the AME before I fill out that part of the form. Thanks again.
 
Ron Levy said:
I'm not an expert on this area, but my gut feel is you need to contact an aviation attorney to approach the FAA for you and negotiate a deal, and to do so quickly. To "just let it go" would, I think, be a big mistake, because if they catch it before you 'fess up, revocation of all your FAA certificates will be the least they'll do, and criminal action is theoretically possible.
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Cap'n

I have read just a little about the Senate hearings and the FAA's new policy on medical records and I think they would revoke certificates mostly in cases where someone fraudulently obtained the certificate. In my case this didnt happen , it was just an oversight and I didnt fail to report a disqualifying condition. Also , I dont think the FAA would ever know about it if I didnt tell them .
 
Unregistered said:
I have read just a little about the Senate hearings and the FAA's new policy on medical records and I think they would revoke certificates mostly in cases where someone fraudulently obtained the certificate. In my case this didnt happen , it was just an oversight and I didnt fail to report a disqualifying condition. Also , I dont think the FAA would ever know about it if I didnt tell them .
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You may be right, but my advice (which may be on the cautious side) stands. You can't go wrong by handling it as I suggested (your attorney will not identify you unless an acceptable agreement is reached), but there is the potential for big trouble if you wait and report it later, or get caught by the FAA before then. But it's your choice to make -- just do so knowing all the possible risks.
 
There's a reason why I maintain a spreadsheet just for the purpose of recording doctor visits. Unfortunately, it's been a long list this year. But it beats relying on my memory...
 
Ghery said:
There's a reason why I maintain a spreadsheet just for the purpose of recording doctor visits. Unfortunately, it's been a long list this year. But it beats relying on my memory...
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I have been doing the same for the past two years. This is because last time I had to make a special trip to my doctor's office just to write down the dates and reasons for the visits for the 2 years prior to that.

My flight physical is scheduled for tomorrow. We'll see......

To the original poster, I highly recommend following the advice of Ron and Dr. Bruce. They are the true experts, and we are very fortunate to have them donate their time helping us.
 
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I passed! I had to gather some paperwork and document a little more than I'm used to, but I'm good to fly for another 2 years!
 
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