AOPA Toughens Stance on Aircraft Searches

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 08:38 PM ET

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** Photo by Gerald L Nino via CBP** Gerald L Nino

Key Takeaways:

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is challenging U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) over its practice of detaining and searching general aviation aircraft and pilots without cause, often far from border areas.
CBP defends these searches by citing regulations allowing "ramp checks," claiming that facts may arise during these checks to justify further investigation based on "reasonable suspicion."
AOPA's attorneys disagree, arguing that ramp check authority does not empower agents to conduct criminal investigations unrelated to aircraft safety, and AOPA is seeking congressional support to restrict such warrantless searches while collecting pilot incident reports.

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The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has filed a federal freedom of information request and is marshalling support in Congress as part of a broad effort to stop federal agents from detaining and searching general aviation airplanes flown by pilots who have done nothing wrong.

AOPA has sent a letter to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency asking it to explain its legal authority for conducting stops and searches of GA airplanes, in many cases more than 100 miles from any U.S. border. The association says it has heard from more than 40 pilots who have been stopped by federal agents, some of them more than once on the same trip.