Author Topic: Doc Halladay - NTSB report finally in  (Read 2361 times)

Offline Gman

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Re: Doc Halladay - NTSB report finally in
« Reply #30 on: April 18, 2020, 12:56:11 AM »
A First Class Medical was issued 6 months prior to his accident. I can only speculate that perhaps his Insurance Company or Employer required it (not uncommon) as it is not required by the FAA. A Private Pilot only needs a Third Class Medical - and once issued he does not have to reapply for a Third Class Medical as Private Pilots can fly under Basic Med and the rules that govern.

The only urinalysis required for a First Class is for Glucosa screening (Diabetes/ Kidney disease) and not drugs. Drug Screen Urinalyses are usually performed by an employer/ potential employer.

However, he was required to answer, and declare, all hospitalizations, Drug use, Depression, Drug/ Alcohol abuse and 18 or 19 other questions. Any answer in the affirmative, requires further explanation in the next section of the application - and reviewed by the examining Doctor.

Two of the drugs are disqualifiers and two are required not to be taken within 36-48hrs of flying. He wasn't issued a Special Issuance Medical, which is issued after the examining Doctor decides Further evaluation is needed by the Doc's in Oklahoma. It isn't a stretch to reach the conclusion that either his current Medication list was either very recent (w/ in the last 6 months or he didn't declare.

Further more when you apply for an FAA medical certificate you sign away the right for medical privacy. Hence the FAA can request and get your medical records from Hospitals and Doctors at any time. Hence they mention his two rehab stints in 2013 and 2015. In the document they state they were unable to attain recent records from 2016 to present.

Good info, thanks.  I figured it would be different in the USA/FAA than here in Canada/Transport Canada.  I looked but couldn't find what type of license or medical he had.  It does sound like what I posted though - like you said, very possible he either fibbed on the "I declare", or got his certificate done/issued when he wasn't prescribed some or all of that crap.

I did find some articles regarding the amphetamine results specifically - he had double the LD 50 amount of it in the samples they tested, which would have been a bit after the crash and time of death, so they results were probably lower than the time of the crash.  HUGE amount of amphetamines in his system, enough to kill the average person who has no tolerance built up to that specific drug.  Insane, which puts a bit of a different spin on it for me at least.