A Pilot’s Real Exposure Is the Report, Not Just the Charge
For a certificated pilot, a Florida DUI carries a duty most drivers never face. Federal regulation 14 C.F.R. section 61.15(e) requires you to send the FAA a written report of any motor vehicle action within sixty days, and the consequence of missing that deadline is often worse than the underlying offense. The report goes to the FAA Civil Aviation Security Division (AMC-700) in Oklahoma City, and the sixty-day clock is unforgiving.
What Counts as a Reportable Motor Vehicle Action
It is not only a conviction. Under section 61.15(c), the administrative suspension of your driver license counts too. So when Florida suspends your license at arrest for a 0.08 reading or for a refusal under section 322.2615, that suspension is itself a reportable motor vehicle action, separate from any later conviction. A single DUI arrest can therefore generate two reporting obligations, the suspension and, later, the conviction, even though both arose from one incident.
The Formal Review Hearing Can Change What You Have to Report
This is where defending the case early matters most. Because the administrative suspension is the reportable event, and because a Florida formal review hearing can invalidate that suspension as if it never happened, winning that hearing inside the sixty-day window can remove the very action you would otherwise have to report. The hearing is set within thirty days of a timely demand, which itself must be made within ten days of arrest, and the ruling issues within seven days, so the timing can line up. The formal review hearing is the first thing I fight in any DUI, and for a pilot it carries this added weight. Confirm the reporting question with aviation counsel, but the strategy is to resolve the suspension before the report is due.
| Item | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Deadline | Within 60 days of the motor vehicle action, under 14 C.F.R. 61.15(e) |
| What is reportable | A DUI conviction and a license suspension or revocation for an alcohol or drug related cause |
| Where it goes | FAA Civil Aviation Security Division (AMC-700), not the Medical Division |
| If you miss it | Grounds to deny, suspend, or revoke a certificate for up to one year, under 61.15(f) |
The Cover-Up Is the Career-Ender
One DUI rarely costs a pilot the certificate. It generally takes two alcohol or drug related actions within three years to draw certificate action from the FAA. What ends careers is the failure to report, and worse, a false answer on a medical application. In United States v. Hatch, 434 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2006), an aviation employee was criminally convicted for failing to disclose prior alcohol-related convictions on his medical form. The lesson is full and accurate disclosure on the sixty-day report and at your next medical, every time.
How I Help
I defend the DUI and the administrative suspension, which is the part that protects your certificate, and I move fast on the formal review hearing for the reasons above. For the FAA reporting letter and any certificate-action proceeding, I coordinate with an aviation attorney, because that side has its own rules and its own specialists. Keeping the conviction and the suspension from sticking is what keeps you flying.
Related: Collateral consequences overview, The formal review hearing, Refusing the test, and Forensic lawyer-scientist.
I started out as an Assistant Public Defender in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, in Tampa, and today I am one of six ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientists in Florida. For a licensed professional, a DUI puts more than a license to drive at risk, so I work to keep the conviction off your record in the first place, because that is what protects the career you built. Learn more about my background.
Common Questions
Do I have to report a DUI to the FAA?
Yes. Under 14 C.F.R. section 61.15, a certificated pilot must send the FAA Civil Aviation Security Division a written report of any motor vehicle action within sixty days. That includes a DUI conviction and an alcohol or drug related driver license suspension, even a first one.
Will one DUI cost me my pilot certificate?
Usually not by itself. It generally takes two alcohol or drug related actions within three years to draw FAA certificate action. The greater danger is failing to file the sixty-day report or giving a false answer on a medical application, which can lead to revocation or even criminal charges.
Does an administrative license suspension count as reportable?
Yes. Under section 61.15(c), a license suspension or revocation for an alcohol or drug related cause is a reportable motor vehicle action on its own, separate from any conviction. A Florida suspension for a 0.08 reading or a refusal qualifies.
Can fighting the suspension help my FAA situation?
It can. Because the suspension is the reportable event, invalidating it at a formal review hearing within the sixty-day window may remove the action you would otherwise report. The hearing timing can line up, so demanding it within ten days of arrest matters. Confirm the reporting question with aviation counsel.
Do you handle the FAA side too?
I defend the DUI and the administrative suspension, which is what protects your certificate. For the FAA reporting letter and any certificate-action proceeding, I work alongside an aviation attorney who specializes in that process.
This page is general information about Florida law, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. I am a criminal defense attorney. The FAA certificate and reporting process is governed by federal regulation, including 14 C.F.R. section 61.15, and you should consult aviation counsel for the certificate side. Reporting rules and deadlines change and turn on the specific facts, so confirm current requirements with the appropriate counsel and regulator. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
