Pilots and a Montana DUI: FAA Reporting and Medicals

A pilot who gets a DUI in Montana has two separate federal obligations. The first is a written report to the FAA within 60 days of each "motor vehicle action," which includes a license suspension as well as a conviction. The second is disclosure on the next medical application, which reaches arrests too. Missing either can cost more than the DUI. This page explains both, using the regulation and the FAA's own published guidance as of October 9, 2026. It is part of our Montana DUI Guide.

We defend the Montana criminal charge and the license suspension. FAA enforcement and medical certification are their own field, and a pilot with a certificate at stake should also talk to an aviation attorney.

What Counts as a Motor Vehicle Action

The regulation defines three kinds of motor vehicle action, each occurring after November 29, 1990 (14 CFR § 61.15(c)):

• a conviction for violating a federal or state statute relating to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated by, impaired by, or under the influence of alcohol or a drug;
• the cancellation, suspension, or revocation of a license to operate a motor vehicle for a cause related to that kind of operation; or
• the denial of an application for a license to operate a motor vehicle for that kind of cause.

The FAA's published examples of reportable administrative actions include suspension or revocation for a chemical test failure and for a chemical test refusal. Its answers to common questions add that a suspension must be reported "regardless of length," even one that lasted a single day.

How This Maps Onto a Montana Case

In Montana, a driver who refuses a breath or blood test after a DUI arrest has the license suspended under the implied consent law, with 30 days to petition the district court to challenge it (MCA §§ 61-8-1016, 61-8-1017). See test refusal and challenging a refusal suspension. For a pilot, that suspension is a motor vehicle action on the day it takes effect. The FAA's guidance says a notification letter must be submitted within 60 days of the effective date of the suspension, and that "a second notification letter is required if the airman is later convicted."

What the Report Must Contain and Where It Goes

The written report must include (14 CFR § 61.15(e)):

• your name, address, date of birth, and airman certificate number;
• the type of violation that resulted in the conviction or administrative action;
• the date of the conviction or administrative action;
• the state that holds the record; and
• a statement of whether the action arose from the same incident as a previously reported one.

The FAA's current instructions send the letter to the Security and Intelligence Organization (AXI-300), P.O. Box 25810, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, and the agency also offers an online notification letter. Office names in older FAA handouts differ, so use the address on the FAA's page the day you file, and keep proof of the date you sent it.

The Medical Certificate Is a Separate Track

The 60-day letter goes to the security office. Your medical certificate is handled by aerospace medicine, and reporting to one does not inform the other. The FAA states that all alcohol- or drug-related arrests must be reported whenever the next application for a medical certificate, FAA Form 8500-8, is made. Its examiner guidance describes question 18v as covering any arrest, conviction, or administrative action involving driving while intoxicated, impaired, or under the influence.

The FAA's disposition table for aviation medical examiners, updated September 30, 2026, sorts alcohol events this way:

In every category the pilot is asked for documents: a personal statement, the arrest report with the officer's narrative and test results, official breath or blood results, court and probation records, driving records from every state where the pilot was licensed in the preceding 10 years, and any substance abuse evaluations or treatment records. Start collecting them while the case is open. Our page on getting your driving record covers the Montana one.

Notice what the table does with a refusal. A refused test is grouped with a result of 0.15 or higher, and the examiner must defer. A refusal that looks like a way to keep a number out of the criminal case has a cost on the medical side.

Two Events in Three Years

A motor vehicle action that occurs within 3 years of a previous one is itself grounds for denying an application for up to a year, or for suspending or revoking any certificate or rating (14 CFR § 61.15(d)). The rule excludes actions that result "from the same incident or arise out of the same factual circumstances," so a refusal suspension and the conviction from the same stop are not counted as two.

Decisions in the Montana Case That Matter to the FAA

• Whether to test. That choice is made at the roadside or the station, usually before a lawyer is involved. Afterward, what matters is whether the suspension can be challenged within 30 days.
• What the conviction is for. The FAA rule turns on the statute you are convicted under. See plea agreements.
• The dates. Each suspension and the judgment start their own 60 days. Ask your attorney for each date in writing.
• The record. The test result, or the lack of one, decides which row of the medical table you fall in.

Flying itself has stricter alcohol rules than driving, which our page on flying under the influence explains.

This page summarizes federal aviation regulations and FAA guidance as published on October 9, 2026, and Montana law in general. It is not legal advice about your case, and it is not aviation or medical certification advice.