Meanwhile, the much-castigated Pennsylvania pilot who violated the Washington, D.C., ADIZ on May 11 and caused panic in the Capital has been cut a break by the FAA. Hayden “Jim” Sheaffer will be allowed to reapply for his pilot’s certificate in 10 months, instead of the one-year restriction that was originally imposed, on the condition that he drop his appeal to the NTSB. In addition, “They asked me not to go out, in essence, and badmouth them,” Sheaffer told LancasterOnline. Sheaffer, through his attorney, has said that he had tried repeatedly to make radio contact with authorities that day, but was unsuccessful, contrary to the FAA’s initial report. Sheaffer will have to re-take his knowledge and practical tests in order to get his certificate back. The FAA took no action against student pilot Troy Martin, who was at the controls at times during the flight, since he was never pilot in command. “I think it’s a fair settlement,” Sheaffer’s lawyer, Mark McDermott, told The Washington Post. “My client is interested in promoting safety, so he has elected not to fight it and go through retraining. He’ll get back to flying as soon as possible.”
…And ADIZ Violator Gets A Break
Key Takeaways:
- Pilot Hayden "Jim" Sheaffer, who violated the Washington, D.C. ADIZ, has reached a settlement with the FAA allowing him to reapply for his pilot's certificate in 10 months, a two-month reduction from the original one-year restriction.
- The settlement requires Sheaffer to drop his NTSB appeal, refrain from publicly criticizing the FAA, and successfully re-take his knowledge and practical pilot tests.
- The student pilot on board, Troy Martin, faced no disciplinary action as he was not the pilot in command during the incident.
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