MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (AP) - A newspaper’s review of records and federal law has found that the pilot of a small plane killed in a crash last month in Vermont held an expired medical certificate that should have kept him from flying.
The Burlington Free Press reports (https://bfpne.ws/2jB2VOd ) that Federal Aviation Administration records show Paul Bessler received his most recent health evaluation in 2009. Bessler was required by law to renew the certification after five years. Pilots must have the evaluations to fly.
Bessler was the only person aboard the aircraft when it went down approximately 300 feet from the departure end of the runway at Middlebury State Airport on Dec. 23.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board said there’s no indication a medical issue played a role in the crash.
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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com
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