Q&As for Safety-Sensitive Employees

The following questions are the most common inquiries received by the FAA's Drug Abatement Division from individuals or employees who perform safety-sensitive functions and are subject to Federal drug and alcohol testing in the aviation industry. The questions and responses below aim to bring greater understanding and awareness to the Federal drug and alcohol testing regulations [49 CFR part 40 and 14 CFR part 120].

• What constitutes a violation of the FAA's drug and alcohol testing regulation?
• What steps must I take to return to the performance of safety-sensitive functions after I violated the FAA's drug and alcohol testing regulation?
• I tested positive for marijuana on a DOT/FAA drug test, but recreational use of marijuana is legal in my state. Will my test be cancelled?
• My employer told me that I refused to test. But I didn't. I just walked outside the collection site to smoke a cigarette and make a call. Did I refuse?
• If I cannot provide sufficient urine during a drug test, is it a refusal?
• How soon do I have to report to the testing site once I am notified?
• Why am I selected for random testing several times a year and some of my coworkers never get tested?
• Who pays for my meeting with a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) and my treatment program?
• Do I need to complete the return-to-duty process after my violation if I leave aviation for a long period and return later?
• What will happen if I return to work after a violation and I don't complete the return-to-duty process?
• As a pilot who flies internationally for a U.S. air carrier, am I subject to drug and alcohol testing when I fly outside of the United States?
• Is my positive Federal drug test result reported to the FAA?
• I tested positive for marijuana on a DOT/FAA drug test, but I used a CBD product I bought from a grocery store. Is my test valid?

The following questions are frequently asked by individuals who are being investigated by the FAA Drug Abatement Division, Special Investigations Branch and receive a Letter of Investigation (LOI) regarding a drug/alcohol violation.

• I received a letter of investigation from the FAA because of my drug or alcohol violation. Who do I contact to discuss my case?
• If I have already completed the return-to-duty process described in part 40, can I return to the performance of safety-sensitive functions while the FAA is conducting its investigation?
• If my certificate has been revoked, how do I get it back?
• My LOI states that I may be preliminarily eligible to participate in the FAA's Prompt Settlement Policy. What is that?

If you have any additional questions regarding the DOT/FAA drug and alcohol testing program, please contact the Drug Abatement Division via email at drugabatement@FAA.gov or call (202) 267-8442.

The Department of Transportation's Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance has also published a list of Frequently Asked Questions by employees.

Capstone: Know Thy Equipment Training Series

Introduction to FAA's "Know Thy Equipment" Training Series

• Module 1.1: Introduction to Chelton Avionics
• Module 1.2: Chelton Primary Function Display and Symbology
• Module 1.3: Chelton Multifunction Display and Symbology
• Module 1.4: Chelton Caution, Warning, and Advisory System
• Module 1.5: Chelton Menu Functions
• Module 1.6: Chelton Step-by-Step Procedures
• Module 2.1: Introduction to Garmin Avionics
• Module 2.2: Operation of GNS480
• Module 2.3: Operation of MX20

CFIT: What more can we do?

Flight Operations Group

Airport Obstacle Analysis &
Aircraft Performance Planning

Airport Obstacle Analysis

• AC 120-91A, Airport Obstacle Analysis
• Overview of AC 120-91, Airport Obstacle Analysis(PDF)

Aircraft Performance Planning

Performance Planning Training Videos

• Planning for Takeoff Obstacle Clearance
• Declared Distances
• Wet Runway Takeoff Performance
• Landing Distance Assessment

Frequently Asked Questions & Hot Topics

Q. What airport characteristics factor into your runway analysis data?
A. Obstacles, slope, elevation, and runway lengths (i.e. TORA, TODA, ASDA, LDA).

Q. Am I really only clearing obstacles in my flight path by 35 feet?
A. No, there is a safety margin built into AFM performance data. This safety margin is outlined in Part 25 (Aircraft Certification), but involves a conservatism applied to the actual data gathered by the test pilots upon certification. This conservatism is accomplished in various forms, with the most commonly referred to being a Gross climb gradient reduced to Net climb gradient factor. This is a reduction in the actual aircraft’s climb performance as a function of the number of engines. The decrement ranges from 0.8% (2 engine aircraft) to 1% (4 engine aircraft) for first, second, and third segment climbs/acceleration. An example would be if you are clearing an obstacle by a NET 35 ft, and the obstacle is 2 NM off of the departure end of the runway, you will actually be clearing that obstacle by at least 135 feet. At 10 NM this becomes over 500 ft. To determine the actual aircraft height above the 35 foot NET height, simply multiply the gradient reduction, .008 for example, by the distance in feet, to the obstacle. Also, this is assuming the worst case scenario of losing the critical engine AT V1, continuing the takeoff, operating at the maximum weight allowed for that scenario, and the obstacle in question is the most limiting obstacle. If the engine failure occurs after V1, or you depart with a lower weight than the maximum for that scenario, you will further increase this safety margin.

Strategic Areas

Secure Industry Commitment

Initiatives

Implement clear roles and responsibilities for Industry's compliance assurance systems

Establish system oversight of compliance assurance systems

Cultivate a just culture

Vision Elements

Embrace the Accountability Framework

Strengthen AIR-Industry Relationships

Q&As for Safety-Sensitive Employees

What constitutes a violation of the FAA's drug and alcohol testing regulation?
You have violated the FAA's drug and alcohol testing regulation (14 CFR part 120) if you have:

• A verified positive result on a drug test;
• Misused alcohol in any of the following situations:
  • An alcohol test resulting in an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater;
  • Used alcohol while on-duty;
  • Used alcohol pre-duty (8 hours prior to duty for a pilot, flight attendant, or air traffic controller; or 4 hours prior to duty for all other employee categories);
  • Used alcohol within 8 hours following an accident.
• A refusal to submit to required testing

Spatial Disorientation and Aerospace Medicine Reference Collection

This site provides information that relates to civilian and military spatial disorientation and aerospace medicine, physiology, and human factors. These files were previously available through a United State Air Force (USAF) Web site hosted by Wright Patterson Air Force Base. The USAF provided the files to the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) so that, combined with CAMI's spatial disorientation and aerospace medicine archives, the information would be available to the public.

The files are presented as were originally organized. We invite readers to contribute material to this archive; please contact the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute.

Current Organization Scheme

• Human Factors and Medicine Panel
• Mechanism Studies
• Mishap Studies
• Multi-Sensory Integration
• Primary Flight Displays
• Remotely Operated Aircraft
• Spatial Disorientation and Advanced Technology
• Spatial Disorientation Training
• Spatial Disorientation Videos

AIR Transportation Division

The division is also responsible for management and oversight of:

• Air taxi insurance certification
• FAA's Aviation Safety and Health Program
• FAA's Whistleblower Protection Program
• The National Simulator Program

Specific Functions

• Advises the Director, the Associate Administrator, and other principal officials, and serves as a point of contact for the aviation community on matters in related program areas which are appropriate to the national level
• Determines the need for and recommends research and development projects
• Determines the need for, justifies, and formulates new or amended regulations, supplementary regulatory material and grants or denials of exemption petitions; participates in regulatory review programs; and develops operations specifications
• Develops and recommends national policies, standards, systems, procedures, and program plans
• Develops coordinates, and issues national directives to provide technical guidance on policies and procedures
• Develops operating requirements and technical standards
• Guides and assists the other divisions, the regions, and other elements of the agency in the conduct of the related programs; provides guidance on applying agency policies, standards, and procedures pertaining to current safety issues
• Initiates, recommends, and coordinates actions to resolve safety problems resulting from accidents and incidents
• Participates in the analysis and evaluation of the field execution of programs

The Air Transportation Division Also:

• Assigns projects (other than rulemaking) with recommended priorities and provides technical and policy guidance to ensure the technical adequacy of related program activities performed by the Regulatory Support Division
• Develops, coordinates, and recommends career development programs to ensure organizational competency for employees in the division
• Oversees development and maintenance of aircraft simulator and flight training device qualification standards and criteria

Aircraft Certification Service (AIR)

System Oversight Division (AIR-800)

The System Oversight (SO) Division oversees the performance of systems associated with design and production of aviation products, articles, and parts, as well as delegation systems and Safety Management Systems. 

The SO Division also issues production approvals, airworthiness certificates, and special flight authorizations; and appoints and oversees manufacturing designees and certain delegated organizations. 

Contact AIR-800

Leadership

• David Howard, Acting Director

AIR-800 Offices

• Certificate Management (CM) Branches – formerly Manufacturing Inspection Offices (MIO)
• Certificate Management (CM) Sections – formerly Manufacturing Inspection District Offices (MIDO)

Office of Aerospace Medicine

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI)

The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) is the medical certification, research, education, and occupational health wing of the FAA's Office of Aerospace Medicine. The goal of our activities is to enhance aviation safety.

After America's first successful flight in 1903, the first aviation fatality could not be far off. Amazingly, five years would pass before the first fatal accident. But since then, safety has been an important concern. In 1926, the Civil Aeronautics Act marshaled the talents of the medical profession to certify that all aviators are physically fit to fly.

Thus, our principal concern at CAMI is the human element in flight - pilots, flight attendants, passengers, air traffic controllers - and the entire human support system that embraces civil aviation. We study the factors that influence human performance in the aerospace environment, find ways to understand them, and communicate that understanding to the aviation community.

The Institute's people - researchers, physicians, and other medical specialists, engineers, educators, pilots, technicians, and communicators - all merged as a team in 1961 at our centralized Oklahoma City facility. Since then, the CAMI team's synergistic products serve people everywhere as they safely and routinely achieve one of the oldest of human dreams: Flight!

• CAMI - A World Class Facility(PDF)
• CAMI Brochure(PDF)
• Aeromedical Safety Brochures
• Aerospace Medical and Human Factors Research
• Aerospace Medical Education Programs
  • Aviation Medical Examiner Education
  • Airman Education Programs
• Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
• Information for Aviation Medical Examiner (AME)
• Civil Aerospace Medical Institute Library
• Federal Air Surgeon's Medical Bulletin
• Medical Certification

Reporting Requirements

Reporting Verified Positive Drug Test Results, Prohibited Alcohol-Related Conduct or Refusals to Submit to Testing

Employers must report to the FAA's Federal Air Surgeon all verified positive drug test results or prohibited alcohol-related conduct for any safety-sensitive employee or applicant who holds a Part 67 Medical Certificate.

Employers must report to the FAA's Federal Air Surgeon all refusals to submit to drug or alcohol testing by any safety-sensitive employee or applicant who holds a Part 61, Part 63, or Part 65 Airman Certificate.

Employers may report to the FAA's Federal Air Surgeon all other safety-sensitive employees' or applicants' verified positive drug test results, prohibited alcohol-related conduct, or refusals to submit to testing.

Sample reports are available here. If you have any questions concerning reporting the above issues, please contact the Special Investigations Branch directly at (202) 267-8442 or via email at AAM830@faa.gov.

Management Information System (MIS) Report

Annual reports of testing statistics must be submitted to the FAA by March 15 of the succeeding calendar year for the prior calendar year (January 1 through December 31) for all part 121 operators; all employers with 50 or more employees performing a safety-sensitive function; and all other employers notified by the FAA in writing of the requirement to submit a report.

• MIS Instructions
• MIS Data Collection Form and Instruction Sheet

Emergency Maintenance for part 135 on-demand Operator or § 91.147 air tour operator

Employers must notify the FAA's Drug Abatement Division in writing within 10 days after being provided emergency maintenance by a maintenance provider that is not subject to the requirements of 14 CFR part 120.

• Sample Form to Report Emergency Maintenance for part 135 or § 91.147 Operator(PDF)
• Applicable Regulations: 14 CFR §§ 120.35 and 120.39