When Should a Pilot Lawyer Up?

Stephen Pope

Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 06:39 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The new Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) system requires air traffic controllers nationwide to report any unusual occurrences, aiming to gather safety data and identify systemic problems.
Pilots are concerned that MORs, which are forwarded to the FSDO, could lead to punitive certificate actions, unlike the less formal handling of minor incidents in the past.
A key dilemma for pilots is how to respond to FAA inquiries from an MOR: pilot organizations advise legal counsel and silence, while the FAA suggests a cooperative approach for minor incidents might prevent escalation.

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I attended a meeting last night at Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) in New Jersey, where officials from the tower and the FAA were on hand to discuss with local pilots the new Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) system that many have likened to an ATC snitching program.

Here’s a quick overview in case you aren’t familiar with the MOR process. Starting on January 31 of this year, the U.S. Air Traffic Organization issued an action order instructing controllers to report anything out of the ordinary, including communication errors, pilot deviations from ATC commands and just about anything else that a controller did not expect to happen – whether the blame lies with the pilot, the controller, or perhaps both. In case you’re wondering, this is happening at all towered airports and ATC facilities across the country.