Imagine you’ve just landed, taxied off the runway and hear the tower controller say to you, “Possible pilot deviation. Advise you contact (the ATC facility) at (phone number).” Following that exchange, you dutifully copy the phone number with the anxiety of having to make a dreaded phone call to an ATC supervisor. You then ask yourself, “Pilot deviation? What is that and what did I do wrong?”
A pilot deviation (PD) occurs when a pilot takes some action that violates ATC instructions, a FAR or an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). A PD can range from an unintentional, innocuous mistake to an intentional, deliberate pilot action resulting in a serious matter. If found culpable, and depending on circumstances, pilot penalties for a PD can include remedial flight instruction from a flight instructor, a “709” checkride (re-examination of pilot skills) and enforcement actions (certificate suspension or revocation). The phrase “possible pilot deviation” is a Brasher Notification, putting the pilot on notice of a possible violation. The sidebar on the opposite page has more on Brasher Notifications.
