Crucial Information Not Fully Disclosed On Medical Certificate Application

The National Transportation Safety Board states the pilot of the GEICO SkyTypers North American SNJ-2 that crashed during a rehearsal flight for last year's Oceana Air Show withheld crucial medical information from the FAA when applying for renewal of his medical certificate, information that might have led to denial of his flying privileges.

As ANN reported, on September 7, 2007, 74-year-old Jan Wildbergh piloted the trailing aircraft in a flight of five that had just performed a low flyover at show center. The group then executed a climbing right turn in formation, setting up to land... but Wildbergh's aircraft failed to turn, instead proceeding straight ahead in a wings-level attitude, losing altitude until it impacted terrain. The crash destroyed the aircraft and claimed the pilot's life.

According to the NTSB's updated factual report on the accident, the FAA denied Wildbergh's application for a second-class medical certificate in December 2005, when in a letter accompanying the application his cardiologist disclosed that Wildbergh had been treated for heart problems for approximately three years. Although the physician's statement said the pilot “may continue to fly aircraft without restriction from a medical standpoint,” the FAA denied the application, due to Wildbergh's “history of falsification of multiple previous FAA examinations for failure to report” conditions, medical visits and evaluations in the past three years.

Responding to the FAA in a letter in January 2006, Wildbergh said "Because I had many tests, felt well, and my cardiologist told me that 'he saw no reason why I couldn't fly,' I foolishly exercised poor judgment when completing my medical form."

A report on further diagnostic studies performed in 2006 also failed to mention chest pain and an abnormal heart rhythm following a stress test. In July 2006, the FAA issued an Authorization for Special Issuance of a second-class Medical Certification, expiring in November 2006. A September 2006 letter from Wildbergh's cardiologist to the FAA indicated that the pilot's condition had been stabilized by medication.

His most recent medical certificate application, dated November 20, 2006, listed current medications, including warfarin (a blood thinner), metoprolol (a beta-blocker), and alfuzosin (an alpha-blocker), and indicated "No change in previously reported medical conditions."

Wildbergh's personal medical records tell a different story, however -- relating episodes of chest pain, shortness of breath, a sense of fullness in the head, atrial fibrillation, and an abnormal heart rhythm. None were reported to the FAA, despite the notation on his medical certificate that "operation of aircraft is prohibited at any time new symptoms or adverse changes occur."

The NTSB report quotes a clinical aviation medical text noting that atrial fibrillation "is particularly troubling with regard to physiologic responses to the high positive G environment of aerobatic and high-performance military flight," further stating "beta-blocker use in high-performance aviators is considered unwise," and alpha-blockers "are not recommended for aviators who will be exposed to any measurable degree of sustained acceleration."

The report indicates "the pilot had completed over 15 minutes of high performance flight, including nearly two minutes of increased g-loading (up to 2.9 g's), and had just completed the longest sustained g-maneuver of the act (30 seconds of 2g loading)."

Perhaps most troubling is the revelation by Wildbergh's fellow pilots of his physical condition the day of the fatal crash, stating the "pilot looked 'pale'...and was observed 'nodding off' during the preflight briefing. They also told the NTSB that Wildbergh was not his 'usual conversational self' on the morning of the accident flight.

FMI: Read The NTSB's Factual Report