Investigations

On January 14, 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Nicholas Beyer was convicted of making false statements to FAA on pilot medical certification forms. A U.S. district judge handed down the verdict following a bench trial.

 

Evidence at trial showed that Beyer made false statements on applications for an airman medical certificate, FAA Form 8500-8, that he submitted to the Agency in 2016 and 2018. FAA uses the airman medical certification process to evaluate whether pilots are mentally and physically fit to fly. Based on the evidence, Beyer falsely stated on both copies of Form 8500-8 that he had never been diagnosed with, did not have, and had never had a mental disorder of any sort, which was not accurate. The evidence also showed that Beyer falsely stated on the forms that he was only receiving disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for knee and back injuries, when he was also receiving benefits for a major depressive disorder.

 

DOT-OIG is conducting this investigation with VA-OIG.