Former Cape Air Pilot Sent to Prison

Air Safety Week,  March 31, 2008  

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A former commercial airline pilot who caused a Cape Air emergency landing six years ago has been sentenced to prison time or lying to the Federal Aviation Administration and his employer about the medical condition that prompted the incident.

For his entire career, Ronald Crews, 50, hid his diabetes from the FAA. He pleaded guilty last July to four counts of making false statements to a federal agency, charges that came after an investigation into his insulin- dependence and his ability to fly passenger carrying transports.

The close call that prompted the investigation occurred in February 2002. Crews suffered a diabetic seizure in the middle of a flight from Martha's Vineyard to Hyannis. There was no co-pilot on the flight deck. One of the four passengers on board the Cessna was a Cape Air security supervisor who was learning to fly and had just 48 hours of flight training.

The student pilot landed the plane safely at Provincetown Airport, even though the Cessna's landing gear didn't extend and no one was on the ground to help guide her in.

Crews was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner to 16 months in federal prison with two years supervised released to follow.

On July 12, Ronald N. Crews pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston, MA, to charges of making false statements on airman medical certification forms. Crews, a former commercial pilot for Cape Air/Nantucket Airlines (Cape Air), was charged in November 2005 with failing to disclose the fact that he was an insulin-dependent diabetic, a condition which could have prohibited his employment as a commercial pilot.

It is reported that Crews flew for different companies, including cargo and passenger airlines, for more than 10 years. He was once named Employee of the Year at Cape Air.Crews reportedly hid syringes and insulin in a Tupperware container in his lunch box.

In addition to the Feb. 8, 2002 event, at least two other Cape Air incidents have been linked to Crews' medical condition, court documents say.

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