Protecting Yourself From FAA Actions Isn’t Hard

Prudent initial response to the investigation is sometimes just ‘name, rank, and serial number.’

Martha Lunken

Wednesday, June 04, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The author says a pilot should politely ask for a written letter of investigation before the conversation goes any further. [Image: David Weaver/Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots contacted by the FAA or ATC regarding a potential violation should politely request a written Letter of Investigation and avoid answering detailed questions until their rights and the situation are understood.
The Pilot's Bill of Rights (PBR) guarantees pilots specific notification of an investigation, including the right to decline an oral or written response without adverse inference, and failure to provide these rights can invalidate the investigation.
Filing a timely and honest report with the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) for inadvertent violations can help pilots avoid civil penalties or certificate suspensions, provided certain conditions are met.
It is strongly advised for pilots to seek legal counsel before fully responding to any FAA inquiry, as immediate and unadvised cooperation can be detrimental.

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Unlike most columns, this one wasn’t much fun to research and write. But it’s late winter in the lower Midwest, and I’m not flying much in a steady diet of snow, rain, high and gusty winds, and low ceilings with clouds full of ice. And besides, this is information every pilot should know.

A few months ago, I wrote about the difference between administrative FAA actions in dealing with an alleged violator of the regulations versus civil or criminal prosecutions. I dug in (which was not fun) and learned a lot more about how things can and should work, but often don’t. To begin, what to do if you answer a phone call that starts, “This is FAA Inspector Blodgett, calling for Mr. Hotshot Pilotte.”