If I am a pilot and get a DWI DUI what will happen?
The first thing to consider is that an FAA notification letter needs to be filled out and sent into the FAA. This is a document letting the FAA know this action, whether it is a charge or loss of license for the DWI, has taken place.
Once the case resolves, another notification letter needs to be sent in again confirming the end result. But, this notification letter is not the end of the process. Now, the FAA will typically have the medical certification unit of the FAA run their process. That department will first make sure you did the notification letters. If you did not, that can cause issues alone, even if the DWI wouldn’t have been an issue, for example.
Also, The medical certification process will possibly require proof of chemical health and rehabilitation efforts, they will want to see police reports from the offense, and will ask for more information from you as a part of their processing. Then, they run their own diagnostic on whether to suspend, terminate, or to issue any other corrective action. The tough answer is that it depends. It depends on whether or not you have prior negative history that was already on a record or not, how serious the DWI offense was, etc.
