Investigations

On January 23, 2013, in U.S. District Court, Norfolk, Virginia, Richard Patterson of Suffolk, Virginia, a commercial licensed pilot, pled guilty to making a false statement on an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate application he submitted to the FAA.

The investigation revealed that Patterson submitted three applications in an attempt to obtain a second class medical certificate, where he stated he had never had any surgeries, when in fact he had two back related surgeries. Patterson was subsequently issued second class medical certificates based on these statements. Patterson's sentencing is scheduled for April 29, 2013.