moose135
2008-10-14, 11:38 AM
Excerpts from Newsday.com (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-lisky145882911oct14,0,4418576.story)
Ruling: FAA failed to restrict pilot for heart problems
BY KEITH HERBERT | [email protected]
October 14, 2008
The Federal Aviation Administration failed to restrict a Freeport stunt pilot from aerobatic flights despite the pilot's history of heart problems before he died in an air-show crash in Virginia last year, the National Transportation Safety Board has ruled.
Jan Wildbergh, 74, who performed with the Geico Skytypers in a World War II fighter plane, died Sept. 7, 2007, when his plane crashed during a rehearsal for an air show at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Va. He had been a member of the aerobatic team, based at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, since 1986, a team spokesman said.
The safety board, in its final report on the crash, said the probable cause was Wildbergh's incapacitation and "the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration to deny or restrict the pilot's medical certification."
The NTSB report said the investigation had found no evidence of mechanical failure or other problem with the plane. It concluded that Wildbergh had been unable to "maintain control of the airplane due to physiological incapacitation."
Three days before the crash, Wildbergh visited his cardiologist and complained of episodes of atrial fibrillation - that is, abnormal heartbeat - as well as fatigue and shortness of breath, the report stated.
In its report, released Sept. 26, the safety board said that as early as November 2006, the FAA knew enough about Wildbergh's heart trouble and "clearly had sufficient information to justify" keeping him from any commercial or aerobatic flight.
In 2003, 2004 and 2005, Wildbergh denied any history of heart problems or use of heart medication in applications for second-class airman certificates, the report stated. In November 2005, however, he noted a history of atrial fibrillation when applying for a medical certificate, and said he was taking metoprolol and warfarin. A letter from Wildbergh's cardiologist to the FAA's aviation medical examiner said Wildbergh had been treated for atrial fibrillation for about three years, the report said.
The FAA denied Wildbergh's application for a medical certification in December 2005 because of his "history of falsification" of FAA medical applications and "failure to report atrial fibrillation," the safety board's report said.
Wildbergh acknowledged his mistake in a letter to the FAA in January 2006, writing, "I foolishly exercised poor judgment when completing my medical form," according to the report.
Yet, after making that admission, the safety board report said, Wildbergh did not report all medical visits and evaluations to the FAA between November 2006 and the day of the crash, despite extensive treatment for his heart problems.
He was taking medication to reduce heart rate, which the report stated was "troubling with regard to physiological responses to the high G environment of aerobatic and high-performance military flight." G-force is experienced by a pilot when the craft in which he is traveling accelerates or slows down rapidly. When Wildbergh crashed, he had just completed about 15 minutes of high-performance flight, including two minutes of increased G-force flight, the report states.
The NTSB report said the FAA's aviation medical examiner who signed off on Wildbergh's medical certification also was a pilot, and he and Wildbergh had flown together in skytyping operations. That aviation medical examiner was not identified in the report.
"Obviously, we're disappointed," Steve Kapur, a spokesman for Skytypers, said. "We lost a very, very close friend in Jan. It appears from the report he wasn't entirely forthcoming with his health status."
Wildbergh's heart symptoms were increasing following his most recent medical certification, about six months before the crash, the NTSB report said. The FAA said he did not report changes in his condition to the agency, as required under terms of his medical certification.
On the morning of the crash, Wildbergh looked pale, according to a Skytypers mechanic and a person associated with promotion of the air show who were interviewed by safety board investigators.
The second person stated that Wildbergh appeared to be nodding off during the morning preflight briefing.
Ruling: FAA failed to restrict pilot for heart problems
BY KEITH HERBERT | [email protected]
October 14, 2008
The Federal Aviation Administration failed to restrict a Freeport stunt pilot from aerobatic flights despite the pilot's history of heart problems before he died in an air-show crash in Virginia last year, the National Transportation Safety Board has ruled.
Jan Wildbergh, 74, who performed with the Geico Skytypers in a World War II fighter plane, died Sept. 7, 2007, when his plane crashed during a rehearsal for an air show at the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Va. He had been a member of the aerobatic team, based at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, since 1986, a team spokesman said.
The safety board, in its final report on the crash, said the probable cause was Wildbergh's incapacitation and "the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration to deny or restrict the pilot's medical certification."
The NTSB report said the investigation had found no evidence of mechanical failure or other problem with the plane. It concluded that Wildbergh had been unable to "maintain control of the airplane due to physiological incapacitation."
Three days before the crash, Wildbergh visited his cardiologist and complained of episodes of atrial fibrillation - that is, abnormal heartbeat - as well as fatigue and shortness of breath, the report stated.
In its report, released Sept. 26, the safety board said that as early as November 2006, the FAA knew enough about Wildbergh's heart trouble and "clearly had sufficient information to justify" keeping him from any commercial or aerobatic flight.
In 2003, 2004 and 2005, Wildbergh denied any history of heart problems or use of heart medication in applications for second-class airman certificates, the report stated. In November 2005, however, he noted a history of atrial fibrillation when applying for a medical certificate, and said he was taking metoprolol and warfarin. A letter from Wildbergh's cardiologist to the FAA's aviation medical examiner said Wildbergh had been treated for atrial fibrillation for about three years, the report said.
The FAA denied Wildbergh's application for a medical certification in December 2005 because of his "history of falsification" of FAA medical applications and "failure to report atrial fibrillation," the safety board's report said.
Wildbergh acknowledged his mistake in a letter to the FAA in January 2006, writing, "I foolishly exercised poor judgment when completing my medical form," according to the report.
Yet, after making that admission, the safety board report said, Wildbergh did not report all medical visits and evaluations to the FAA between November 2006 and the day of the crash, despite extensive treatment for his heart problems.
He was taking medication to reduce heart rate, which the report stated was "troubling with regard to physiological responses to the high G environment of aerobatic and high-performance military flight." G-force is experienced by a pilot when the craft in which he is traveling accelerates or slows down rapidly. When Wildbergh crashed, he had just completed about 15 minutes of high-performance flight, including two minutes of increased G-force flight, the report states.
The NTSB report said the FAA's aviation medical examiner who signed off on Wildbergh's medical certification also was a pilot, and he and Wildbergh had flown together in skytyping operations. That aviation medical examiner was not identified in the report.
"Obviously, we're disappointed," Steve Kapur, a spokesman for Skytypers, said. "We lost a very, very close friend in Jan. It appears from the report he wasn't entirely forthcoming with his health status."
Wildbergh's heart symptoms were increasing following his most recent medical certification, about six months before the crash, the NTSB report said. The FAA said he did not report changes in his condition to the agency, as required under terms of his medical certification.
On the morning of the crash, Wildbergh looked pale, according to a Skytypers mechanic and a person associated with promotion of the air show who were interviewed by safety board investigators.
The second person stated that Wildbergh appeared to be nodding off during the morning preflight briefing.