Pilot Sentenced for Falsifying Qualification Forms

Office of Inspector General

Title:	Pilot Sentenced for Falsifying Qualification Forms
Date:	April 16, 2003
Type:	Investigation
Summary:	Samuel P. Nickolas, Cincinnati, OH, was sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge in Cincinnati to spend 6 months in jail and fined $600 for giving false information to FAA. Nickolas had been found guilty of lying about 11 convictions for driving under the influence on the FAA medical certification form and for giving an FAA inspector a false FAA certification indicating he was rated to fly multiengine aircraft and also had his instrument rating. In August 2002, while still a student pilot, Nickolas was the subject of a ramp inspection in which he presented the false FAA certificate to an FAA inspector. The FAA inspector relied on the fraudulent document in allowing Nickolas to fly the small multiengine plane carrying passengers, even though as a student pilot he was not authorized or certified to so. OIG initiated the investigation at the request of FAA.